Chuck vs the Stanford List
by RoyalNavigator
Summary: AU: In a 'verse where Bryce never sent the Intersect to Chuck, the universe still has a way of intervening. Professor Fleming's list of active and non-active agents falls into desperate Fulcrum hands willing to do anything to get their version of the Intersect online.
1. Chapter 1

**5:30 PM, Friday. Burbank California**

If you asked Chuck a year ago, if he'd be a lead programmer for a contracted Government security program, he would have laughed.

But today? He just wanted to sleep the exhaustion away.

Chuck rubbed his eyes. He pecked out a short email to his boss, powered down the computer, grabbed his phone and slung a grey messenger bag over his shoulder.

In the lobby, a young receptionist chewed the end of her pen. Her eyes fixed on a newscast flashing across the lobby TV. As Chuck enters, his eyes swing over to the TV, stopping to lean against the receptionist's desk.

Images of a burning hotel, EMTs and eye witness accounts of a bombing run in a montage over a reporter's shoulder.

"…The NSA now believes the bomb was left by a Chechen arms dealer. This and new information about the deadly hotel bombing that killed General Stanfield and caused an additional 253 fatalities in Los Angeles last year were revealed during Congressional hearings earlier today. The victim's families…"

The receptionist twists the end of her pen between her teeth. "You think they'll get the guys?" she asked.

Chuck looks down. "They're still searching for Bin Laden. They won't give up, but who knows…hey, I've emailed the reports from today. I may come in tomorrow to wrap some stuff up before Monday."

Chuck gives a small wave before continuing on to the elevators. The receptionist turns back to the TV.

A small security camera tucked in the corner, turns slowly towards the elevators.

 **9:00 PM, Wednesday (Two days earlier). Washington DC**

Colonel Casey scowls at the blonde CIA agent across the table. This is the last place he wants to be. He crosses his arms and continues the scowl. Walker glares back.

The door clicks open and the imposing General Beckman and Director Graham enter. A few steps behind enters pretty boy Larkin. Walker sits up straight as the two lock eyes.

Great. Just great.

Larkin's self-importance as an intersect decoy will only be inflated by his former partner. Pansy CIA agents.

Casey grunts as his scowl deepens. Walker looks down and Larken hastily takes his seat, pulls out a computer and starts to pull up documents.

Beckman looks on. She's the one that called this meeting. The NSA and CIA haven't had good results lately.

Last year, Larkin was contacted by Fulcrum to steal the Intersect. Showing a streak of intelligence Casey didn't think existed, Larkin reported Fulcrum's mission to Graham. In a joint decision with the NSA, the CIA intended to let Larkin stage a break-in and "steal" the Intersect. Things went to hell in a hand basket when Orion caught wind of the plans and actually blew up the computer during mission with a drone and Larkin ended up temporarily in the hands of the enemy.

To save face with his Fulcrum handlers, Larkin claimed he uploaded the Intersect before it blew up. Casey was brought in with Walker to rescue Larkin from Fulcrum. Since the rescue, Larkin went deep to keep up the rouse as Intersect and avoid Fulcrum agents. Hiding did have its uses.

Casey was pulled from the Intersect project to help with the LA bombing. After little progress, Beckham started sending Casey on missions to track Orion and collect information on Fulcrum. But like the bombing…little progress.

"Larkin. Report" Graham ordered.

Larkin pulls a spread sheet up on the computer.

"Like us, Fulcrum hasn't been successful in tracking Orion down or locating Intersect schematics. I have found information that suggests they are close to testing their own version on live subjects." Larkin states.

"We've known most of this for a while," retorts Casey.

Larkin nods his head. "But now they're actively looking for test subjects."

"Test subjects?" Sarah asks.

Beckman interrupts, "Yes. A burned CIA recruiter kept a private list of potential and active CIA agents that were pre-tested for the Intersect. Major Casey intercepted an encrypted copy of this list two weeks ago. Almost all active agents on this list have disappeared."

Casey looks to Beckman. "Have they been successful? With the Intersect?"

"No, an inside agent found a Fulcrum dumpsite. The agents didn't survive the testing. While we were never able to conduct human tests, we were told by programmers that a select few would actually have the capability of handling the Intersect."

Bryce highlights a list of three names on the screen. "These are the only remaining active agents on the list. I've tried to make contact with one of them and haven't heard anything yet. We can assume the worst."

Graham adjusts his glasses. "We believe these are the next Fulcrum targets."

"What about that list….non-active agents?" Sarah points towards a folder at the bottom of the screen. "Has Fulcrum approached them?"

Larkin opens the folder and then a second spread sheet.

"We haven't checked these names because they're not qualified for one reason or the other. I would assume Fulcrum would do the same." Larkin replied.

"The numbers on the right, that's the Intersect test right?" Walker said.

Larkin nods.

"If Fulcrum gets desperate, these would still be viable candidates. Look at Bartowski. His test score is through the roof. That's higher than even you, Bryce."

Larkin freezes as his eyes slide across the screen. Something's off. Larkin's hands tighten around the mouse.

Casey narrows his eyes.

"It says here, Bartowski was accused of cheating. The results are invalid," Bryce responds.

"Fulcrum won't care. If it were us, we'd pursue every option," Walker counters.

"Walker is right, we should pursue individuals on this list too." Beckman commands. "Larkin, Walker, Major Casey, you will work together to locate and bring in the remaining individuals on this list. We will coordinate with other agents monitoring friends and families of the missing agents. Dismissed."

Beckman and Graham exit the room. Two assistants sitting in the hallway follow.

"We should follow up with the three agents. Then start with Bartowski and the other high scoring flunkies," says Casey. He stands and moves towards the computer.

 **5:35 PM, Friday. Burbank California**

Frank, the security guard, flips through a comic book. It's a quiet afternoon and the weather wonderful, which might explain why so many left early today.

The elevator doors slowly slide open as a cell phone rings. Mr. Bartowski steps out of the elevator fumbling in his pocket for the ringing phone. He finally grasps it and presses it close to his face.

Mr. Bartowksi is nice. Always stopping by to talk about Frank's latest comic book issue. He's constantly coming in and out of the building at odd hours. But he's polite, which is more than Frank can say about the other programmers. In fact most of them are just down right weird.

Bartowski continues to move towards the exit but pauses halfway through. He stops, pulls the phone down and stares at it briefly before holding it back up. He notices Frank and nods. Chuck nods his head as he turns back to the phone.

Suddenly, he tilts his head back in frustration, turns back around to the elevator and enters. The door slides shut.

Frank shakes his head before turning back to his comic.

 **Several Hours later, Wednesday night (2 days before). Washington DC**

Walker left hours ago to follow up on a lead, while Larkin's hands fly over the keys, running searches and facial recognition software.

Casey nurses a coffee as he fills out reports. This isn't going anywhere either. What he wouldn't give to be back out there running real missions instead of this investigative pen pushing crap.

Casey takes a long sip from his coffee and eyes Larkin. Something's not quite right. He's almost been twitchy.

Larkin looks up from his computer and meet Casey's eyes. "Problem Casey?"

Casey carefully sets his mug down. "Got something to share?"

"No. Going to follow up on a lead." Larkin grabs his phone and steps out into the hallway. Casey shakes his head.

After a moment, his eyes narrow and moves to stick his head out in the hallway.

Larkin is further down, hunched, talking quickly into his phone.

Casey leans back into the room. Something is definitely not right.

 **10:00 AM Friday. Washington DC.**

Agents Larkin and Walker stand by the computer system talking quietly when Casey enters. They pause as he crosses the room to stand by the computer.

"Well?" Larkin says.

"Smith is dead. Car accident." Casey responds.

"Damn. They're all gone. Graham isn't going to like this." Walker runs her hands over her hair.

"Time to work on the rejects. We should start with Bartowski." Casey moves in front of the computer, running a quick search. A DMV record fills the screen. "Huh. Definitely doesn't look like agent material." Casey stares at young man with wild brown hair and a nervous smile.

"Says here he works for a sister company of Roark industries. No missing person's report or anything else concerning. Looks like Fulcrum hasn't moved in yet. Pack you're bags. We're heading to California. I've been feeling a little pasty." Casey looks at Bryce out of the corner of his eye.

Larkin stares at the screen and slowly closes his eyes. "I'll inform Beckman."

 **5:45 PM Friday, Burbank CA**

The office on the 10th floor is a mess. The client chairs are in pieces. An overhead light flickers. The lobby TV is dark. A massive crack spreads around one side. Behind the receptionist desk, a feminine hand lies in a growing pool of blood.

The elevator doors emit a loud wail disturbing the silence. The door can't quite close. A grey messenger bag lies in the way.

 **TBC…**

 **Author's Note:** I won't make posting promises or make reviewer demands. I also most likely won't respond to feedback. This is more of an experiment for myself.


	2. Chapter 2

**9:00 PM Friday, Burbank CA**

 **Office Parking lot**

Casey groans as he pulls into the Roark Tower parking lot. Red and blue lights dance like its a Christmas light show from hell.

"Shit." Walker presses back in the passenger seat, pulling out her phone.

"It could be a fire." Larkin whispers almost hopefully as he leans in from the back seat.

"Cover?" Walker asks.

"Don't need one," Casey grunts. "Bartowski's department is working on contracted government security systems. We have a right to be curious if the local Leos are sniffing around."

Casey flips on the SUV emergency lights and parks the car as Sarah gives a brief update to Beckman.

Casey looks through the rearview mirror. Larkin is a nervous bundle of energy. Maybe things aren't going well with Walker? Walker was practically frigid on the plane.

Great. That'll make for a fun trip.

"Right. Time to go."

 **9:15 PM, 10** **th** **Floor, Roark Tower. Burbank CA.**

Police mingle around the wrecked lobby. One schmuck snaps photos, as another lays down number cards at the direction of an overworked detective. A coroner and her assistant crouch behind the receptionist desk, conferring over the body.

Casey pauses by the stairwell, observing the action as Walker and Larkin approach the detective. Both elevators were shut down as part of the crime scene. Everyone has to take the stairs.

It's a bloody mess. Blood spatters the wall by the dead woman and sprinkled around the room are smudges of blood. Whatever happened didn't go down smoothly.

Walker signals Casey.

He approaches slowly.

"What happened?"

The tired detective turns his attention to Casey. "As I told your partners, we're not sure. Could be a bad case of corporate espionage or robbery gone wrong. What's the CIA care?"

"You've been here two hours. You don't know what happened? This is a high security office, there's cameras everywhere," Casey grunts.

"Yes, but as you can see that might be an issue," the detective replied, looking to the corner behind the desk.

In fact, the security cameras might just be a problem. There was no way that camera could be salvaged. It hung limply by a single wire and it looked like some one tried to eviscerate it. Bits of plastic and tiny wires hung out at odd angles.

"We got the security guard with a detective downstairs trying to look through the feed. Half the cameras began malfunctioning around 5:00."

Larkin moved in, "Can I take a look at the control room? I may be of assistance."

The detective nods and Larkin slouches away.

"There were at least two-three individuals involved as evidenced by the state of the room and blood patterns. We're waiting to see what the security guard can salvage."

Walker asks for a pair of gloves and moves toward the messenger bag.

"What about employees? Who was working on the floor at the time?" She asks as she opens the bag.

"Most everyone left early. Just a few people on some of the floors. No one on the 11th floor heard a thing; the 9th floor is closed for renovations for a new company. The security guard believes the receptionist Carly Cagill and a programmer Charles Bartowski were the only ones on the floor. Brinkman says Bartowski was on his way out but turned around in the lobby after he got a call. He might have stepped into the situation in progress. Cagill was scheduled to leave at 6:00" The detective flicks through his notes.

"Then where's Bartowski?" Casey asks.

"We're not sure. No one is reporting anything suspicious in the building."

"Then what the hell is this?" Casey spreads his arms.

Sarah interrupts. "Where's his phone? The security guard said he was on his phone? His bag is here. Wallet too." Walker holds up a small leather billfold.

The detective shakes his head reaching a hand out for the billfold. Rookie mistake not to look through the bag. He'd be hearing about this later…so would his team.

"Where's his office?" Casey demands.

 **20 minutes later. Security Control Room, Roark Tower.**

Security Guard Frank Brinkman was ready to pull his hair out. Some day this turned out to be.

About 45 minutes after Bartowski turned around, shit hit the fan. Frank was pulling out the next Ex Machina issue when a fire engine and two squad cars screeched to a halt outside. Frank barely had time to get out of his seat before a small group of police rushed the elevator hallway.

One broke off from the group and approached Frank flashing a rather unnecessary badge.

"We received a 911 call."

After that it was a blur. Some new girl was dead and Bartowski unaccounted for. Maybe he wasn't such a nice guy after all.

But at this moment, all Frank could think about was keeping his job. All this happened on his clock.

An unnerved CIA agent was furiously typing away at the control panel; trying figure out what caused the security system to fritz. Frank stayed slouched in a chair in the back watching the agent snapping at a female police detective that flashed a badge earlier.

The agent pounded out a code into the system. He recued the 10th floor camera. The screen interlaced erratically. A distorted image flickered in and out. A tall curly head figure waved at the woman before entering the elevator.

"Finally." The man pressed an earpiece in closer. "I've got something. Head to the control Room."

 **Employee Break Room, Roark Tower**

A cheap _World's Greatest Dad_ mug flew at the wall, shattering. Larkin then delivered a precise kick to a cabinet.

"Damn it."

Walker looked unimpressed as she sat over a laptop. Casey leaned against the wall, inspecting his glock.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Casey snapped as he slid in a fresh magazine.

Larkin glared.

Larkin's behavior didn't reflect the cool agent the grapevine talked about. In fact he was being down right suspicious.

Sarah closed the laptop. "I can verify it was Bartowski's girlfriend that put in the 911 call. She was talking to Bartowski when he found the receptionist. The first responder says the girl was hysterical on the phone. Bartowski had to have been attacked trying to help Cagill and lost his grip on the phone. Based on the security footage, he never stood a chance."

"So this has to be Fulcrum," Casey says.

"Bartowski has a clean record. It makes sense, considering the pattern," says Larkin.

"His record can't be that clean if he was accused of cheating." Casey slides his gun back into his hostler.

"He doesn't seem the type," Larkin snaps.

Sarah turns her gaze to Larkin. Almost assessing him. Wouldn't it be nice to read Barbie's mind right now.

Walker speaks slowly, "If the girl heard the whole call, who ever was on the floor with Bartowski would have noticed the panicked voice on the phone. They may want to silence her. We should secure the girl, see if she can give us any additional information."

"Whose the girlfriend?" Casey asks.

Sarah looks down at her notes. "A Dr. Jill Roberts. She was on her way to a dinner party at coworker's place."

"You and Casey should go check her out. I'll stay here and try to salvage more of the security footage." Larkin forces the words out quickly. He looks sick to his stomach.

"No." Casey responds. He's had enough. "You and Walker go. I'll stay."

"I don't think that's-"

"I don't care. Unless you want to share with the class what's got you on edge?" Casey snorts.

"Fine. I'll go." He stands and exits.

Sarah turns to Casey.

"He's hiding something. And I plan to find out what." Casey gestures towards the laptop. Sarah slides it across the table.

"Where's Bartowski live?" Casey asks picking up the computer.

"He shares a place with his sister, Eleanor off the 405. I'll call with an update."


	3. Chapter 3

I have taken some creative license with some location facts and descriptions. Partly because I am too lazy to look it up. I may not update for a couple days. Travelling.

 **11:00 PM The 405, California.**

"You want to talk about it? We should talk about it," Bryce asks tracking the car in front of them. The SUV speeds up. Sarah adjusts her grip on the wheel.

That's most definitely a no. Bryce had tried and failed to start a conversation with Sarah a couple times now. Partly, to keep his mind off Chuck and the other to fix things with Sarah. She wasn't having any of it.

"This isn't going to go away. We need to talk about it." Bryce sighs.

"No, there really isn't anything to discuss." Sarah answers.

"Sarah…"

The car accelerates again. Sarah flips the emergency lights on.

Bryce turns to look out the side window.

 **11:00 PM Security Control Room Roark Tower. Burbank, CA**

Two on-call NSA analysts sit next to Casey. The two nerds picking up where Larkin left off with the security cameras. One is running facial recognition on all employees and visitors from the footage that's been salvaged. The other attempts to piece together Cagill's final moments.

Casey monitors the laptop screen in front of him. He put in a query to find any possible connection between Larkin and Bartowski a little bit ago. He's also waiting for a list of recent calls from Larkin's cell.

The computer pings. Intel Cell's forwarded Larkin's call log. Casey squints as he reads through it. Larkin's made a flurry of calls since Wednesday. Several to an unlisted number and a handful to an LA number.

Another ping. The query is done. Casey pulls up the results.

Well shit….

Casey whips out his cell and moves out of the room.

 **11:15 PM Apartment Complex, Burbank, CA**

Bryce closes the SVU door and straightens his shirt. He takes a deep breath. Sarah slowly gets out of the car. Bryce takes in the complex. Nice and small. The courtyard fountain echoes faintly in the distance.

"You ready?" Bryce says as he moves around the side of the car. He jerks to a halt.

The barrel of a gun is leveled at his head.

"Don't move."

"Sarah? What the hell?"

"How long have you been one of them?" She tightens her stance, moving the gun to one hand.

"What are you talking about?"

"Fulcrum. How long have you been Fulcrum?" She snarls.

…the hell? Where'd she get that idea? The thought must have showed on his face.

"Casey texted me." She holds up her cell in the other hand. "Said you gave Bartowski a head start. That you're Fulcrum."

"That's a long text." Bryce quips holding his hands up defensively.

"The Intersect operation; is that when this started? When they got you?"

"I am not nor have I ever been a Fulcrum Agent. I can explain everything. There's really a simple answer to this." At least Bryce hopes he can give a simple answer.

"I can't trust you as my partner, so how can I trust what you're saying now?" She says. The gun steady in her hands.

Ah. There it is. Of course now she wants to talk.

"Sarah. I swear to God. I'm not Fulcrum. Chuck isn't Fulcrum. But this," he pauses as if to gesture the current situation and large issue at play. " _This_ _is my fault_. I was just trying to help Chuck. He never should have been on the government radar. But I screwed it up."

"Chuck?"

"Uh yeah. He's…it's a long story."

Sarah cocks the gun.

Bryce extends his hands towards Sarah in an attempt to soothe.

"And we don't really have time for it. But Chuck? He's a good guy...Sarah. Please. Please put the gun down. Chuck needs our help. We're wasting time. You can shoot me later."

"Prove you're not one of them." She answers.

 **11:15 Apt 105, Burbank CA.**

Ellie Bartowski nervously paces back and forth between the kitchen and living area. She's wrapped her arms around her waste as she moves towards the kitchen.

Her fiancé Devon quietly washes dishes. As he finishes each dish, he hands it off to a sober Morgan in his Buymore green. Ellie's thankful Morgan is quiet for once. She couldn't handle the questions tumbling out of his mouth earlier.

She follows Morgan's gaze to Jill slouched on the couch staring at nothing. Tear tracks still shiny. Her hands weakly finger an engagement ring. Ellie's heart plummets as she stares at the ring. She moves back to the living area, grabs a blanket and spreads it over Jill's knees.

Ellie still isn't sure what to think of Chuck and Jill's engagement. She'd never quite forgiven Jill for breaking Chuck's heart at Stanford. But…but Jill _was responsible_ for getting Chuck to _leave the Buymore_ years later. Although Ellie wonders if Jill hadn't waltzed back into their lives, Chuck wouldn't have…well…wouldn't have disappeared.

The police left an hour ago after getting Jill's statement. They didn't know where Chuck was. They'd be in touch once they knew something.

They wouldn't meet Ellie's eyes when she asked if any one had been hurt. Devon squeezed Ellie's hand as Morgan closed the door after they left.

Ellie moved back towards the kitchen.

A firm knock at the door startled everyone. Morgan's hands slipped on a plate. Devon quickly reaching out to grab it before it smashed on the counter. Jill blinks and turns to door.

Ellie sends a silent prayer as she moves to the door. She peers through the peephole. She briefly glances at Devon before she opens the door.

A blonde woman greets her with a grim smile. A man stands a few paces behind, head down, eyes diverted.

"Eleanor Bartowski?" The woman asks.

"Yeah."

"Is Jill Roberts here?"

Jill sits up behind Ellie. The ring slides back on her finger.

"I'm sorry what's this about?" Ellie moves to close a little of the door. A small effort to shield Jill.

"My name is Sarah Walker. My partner and I are with the CIA. We need to speak with Dr. Roberts about your brother, Chuck Bartowski." Sarah offers. Her eyes slide past Ellie to apartment.

"Why is the CIA interested in Chuck?" Ellie frowns.

"Ellie, hun, let them in." Devon moves behind Ellie, putting a hand gently on her elbow.

After a moment, Ellie moves away from the door.

The two agents move into the entryway. As the second agent steps into the lit living room, Ellie stumbles back with a small gasp. Her hand covers her mouth.

Startled by her reaction, Bryce looks into Ellie's eyes.

"…Bryce?" Ellie murmurs.

After all these years Ellie would recognize him anywhere, even with a swelling eye.

Chuck looked up to Bryce, trusted him, but Bryce ruined Chuck. And now…after years of not seeing Bryce and trying to side step around his deeds, he was here. Now. On her doorstep.

"Ellie." Bryce whispered.

Sarah edged away from Bryce swinging her attention to Ellie sensing the emotional change in the woman.

"Ellie," Bryce started again, "I'm sorry."

Ellie swung her arm back and slugged Bryce across his swollen eye. Bryce jolted back, losing his footing briefly, bringing a hand up touch his eye. Two hits in one night. He'd be lucky if he could see in an hour.

"I'm sorry too," Ellie stated as she shakes out her hand.


	4. Chapter 4

**I have no beta…but not really looking for one.**

 **Then…**

 **11:15 Apt 105, Burbank CA.**

"Ellie," Bryce started again, "I'm sorry."

Ellie swung her arm back and slugged Bryce across his swollen eye. Bryce jolted back, losing his footing briefly, bringing a hand up touch his eye. Two hits in one night. He'd be lucky if he could see in an hour.

"I'm sorry too," Ellie stated as she shook out her hand.

 **Now…**

"Ms. Bartowski…" Agent Walker starts then stops.

"Ellie, please, we need to speak with Jill." Bryce winces.

Ellie looks doubtful and like she wouldn't mind taking another swing. She feels Jill move behind her.

"It's been a long time." Jill speaks softly; an uncomfortable frown crosses her face. She moves closer to the group.

All eyes turn towards Jill. Morgan looks a little nervous. The term awkward doesn't even begin to explain the situation. Both Bryce and Jill broke Chuck's heart. And here they are in the Bartowski living room.

The fact that Chuck could overcome the heartbreak was incredible. But a sick puppy sometimes doesn't know the hand that feeds them can bite. Ellie instantly felt bad. Her brother wasn't weak willed. He just happened to have a gentle heart. It _had_ taken considerable initiative from Jill to get Chuck to even meet for coffee after they ran into each other at the Buymore. He wasn't initially interested in anything Jill had to say.

Larkin looks away for a moment in embarrassment. "Jill, we need to ask you some questions about your phone call."

Morgan coughs in the background. He wants to say something. Devon silences him with a glare.

"What do you need to know?"

"Do you mind if we sit down? This might take a while." Agent Walker gestures towards the living area.

 **30 Minutes later, Burbank CA.**

If it was awkward 30 minutes ago. It was still awkward now, but more like finding out Luke and Leia were siblings and Luke totally had a thing for her awkward. It also didn't help his stomach was cramping thinking about what happened to Chuck.

Morgan couldn't stop staring at the blonde agent…Agent Sarah? She was sitting very straight on the edge of the chair.

Everyone had moved into the dining room. Jill was perched in one chair by the end of the table. Ellie at the end with Devon standing behind her. Ex-friend Bryce parroted Ellie's earlier movements, pacing back and forth. Occasionally sharing very serious looks with Agent Sarah.

Morgan really didn't have anything to add to the conversation, but sat close to Ellie elbows on the table turning his head back and forth as the interview progressed.

It felt like Jill literally repeated word for word what happened on the phone with Chuck just as she had with the police earlier…

Chuck was in the elevator on his way back up to his office. He'd forgotten something…maybe the recent test release of Halo? At least that's what Morgan hoped.

Jill wanted to know what wine to pick up for dinner. Chuck didn't get a chance to answer. Instead, he said something was wrong. A girl was hurt. He was going to hang up and call an ambulance, but he never got the chance. There was a loud thud, followed by groaning, the phone dropping and then a serious scuffle with slamming and banging. Jill had hung on to the phone listening to everything when the phone was suddenly disconnected.

She called Chuck back. No answer. Then she called 911. After that she hurried over from the wine store to Ellie's. It'd been utter chaos once she arrived. And now former friend Bryce shows up. Bet Bryce did something.

"Are you sure you didn't hear anyone's voice other than Chuck? No indication if the attackers were male or female?" Agent Sarah pressed again.

Jill shook her head, rubbing her eyes. It was amazing she had any tears left. She'd been crying for several hours now.

Some FBI agents these two were. Hadn't she said that already? Or wait. Were they CIA?

Bryce stopped his pacing and stared sternly at Jill. "Right…I know you're tired. But we really want to help find Chuck. If you remember anything and I mean anything you heard on the call that you think might help us, give me a call."

Bryce pulled a pen from a pocket and wrote a number out on the napkin. He slides the napkin across the table in front of Jill.

Devon clears his throat. All eyes turn towards him. "Uh…I get why the police detective was here, but why is the CIA interested in Chuck? He didn't do anything wrong did he?"

Agent Sarah rolled her shoulders and tilted her head towards Bryce.

Bryce lingered on her a moment before turning to face Ellie.

"It looks like Chuck walked into a situation at the wrong time, but his company has been doing important work for the government. We want to protect Chuck and his work…Ellie, I know things aren't good between me and Chuck, but I promise I will do all I can to help him."

Ellie tightens her grip on Devon's hand. Morgan drops his head to the table.

 **2:00 PM Saturday, a hotel. Burbank, CA**

Casey leans back. Eyes staring off into the mundane hotel suite. Larkin's on his way back from collecting tapes of the security footage. Walker's sifting through reports on Bartowski's work at the software firm. He takes a swig of scotch from the glass clutched loosely in his hand.

The leads are running cold. They really should be moving on to the next name on the list. Fulcrum was collecting people like fireflies. Probably saving them up for the right moment to test the Intersect on and/or in the case of the active field agents get information from them.

The door swings open. Larkin enters pulling out a CD. He hands it off to Sarah surrounded by papers on the bed. The whole right side of his face is swollen.

Casey gets a small amount of satisfaction looking at the bruise. Serves Larkin right for covering up his personal connection to Bartowski. Who knew you could care that much about a college roommate that you shtuped his girl and got thrown out of college?

He'd be embarrassed too. He'd also have liked to see Walker clock him too.

"I've listened to Jill's 911 call. There's some weird playback in the recording. Alex is analyzing the sounds. To see if there's anything he can do to help." Larkin avoids eye contact.

Larkin's phone goes off.

Sarah pushes off the bed and moves towards the bathroom.

"Hello?" Larkin turns towards Casey and mouths "Roberts"

"Of course. I'm glad you called."

Casey takes another swig from his glass. The conversation goes from there, Casey watching Larkin's expressions but not processing the conversation until…

"We'll be there." Larkin hangs up. "Jill thinks she might have remembered something. She wants to meet in 20 minutes." Larkin looks pointedly at Casey waiting for him to move.

"We'll get to it. General Beckman wants to brief in 10."

 **2:00 PM UNDISCLOSED LOCATION**

Bleach. That was the smell. The room reeked of bleach. Like it'd been hosed down at some point. At least Chuck was pretty sure this was a room. It could be a bathroom or a closet or a very bleachy swimming pool?

He wasn't sure because he couldn't see. He'd woken up with a wince and harsh breathes sprawled against what he assumed was the corner of the room. Something in his chest hurt, like he'd been kicked by a ninja. Which really wasn't that far from the truth. A snug piece of cloth covered his eyes and his hands were cuffed around a long handle bar. He could slide the chain forward and backwards and probably along the entire wall. The bar seemed to go on forever.

The moment he'd tried to crouch to use his hands to pull the cloth from his eyes, a cold object was pressed into his neck.

"It stays on." Came a voice.

Chuck winced. Images of Carly bleeding on the floor swim to the front of his mind. He has a very good idea of what's pressed into his neck.

"Okay. Sure. No problem. It stays on. The dark helps with my headache" Chuck rambles. "Carly. Is Carly okay?"

"That's not important."

"Okay, but she was bleeding and she clearly needed help."

The gun grinds against his muscles.

"Okay. Okay. Then what is important?" Chuck pushes out.

"We'll find out."

The gun is removed. Chuck sighs. His relief is fleeting as a sharp blow smashes his head against the wall. A ringing fills his ears as his conscious fades.

A set of footsteps crosses the room. "Is everything else ready?" A new voice asks.

"Yes," the first voice responds, putting the gun away.

 **2:30 PM Saturday, a hotel. Burbank, CA**

"Let me get this straight. You have no clear leads and you want to waste more time on Bartowski?" General Beckman reprimands Larkin.

Casey, Larkin and Walker stand in front of the laptop. Beckman glowers at them across the screen. Graham is absent from this meeting.

"Bartowski is not an agent, nor is he an asset. We will monitor the situation from DC. If new information on his disappearance comes to light, we will investigate. We need to find someone from the list Fulcrum hasn't reached. You three are to report back to DC tonight and move on." Beckman orders.

"General…" Larkin starts.

Walker interrupts. "We're on our way to the airport."

Walker cancels the call.

"What the hell was that?" Larkin turns to his former partner.

"You've already jeopardized this mission!" Sarah snaps. "What exactly do you think will happen when they learn you hid information about Bartowski?"

"I didn't think it was relevant!"

"But your choice. It reflects on all of us."

Casey sets his glass down. "I still think we report it to Beckman. Bartowski is clearly a weakness. If I could find the connection between the two of you, don't think Fulcrum won't. They'll exploit that. Especially if they think you are the Intersect."

"No. They'd bring Ellie in. Bring them all in. Chuck would never forgive me." Larkin responds. "We made a deal. So Beckman wants us back, at least let me meet you both at the airport. Let me follow up on Roberts."

Casey grunts. "I don't trust you and you're sure as hell not going alone."


	5. Chapter 5

**One month later, Undisclosed Location**

"Again Mr. Bartowski, tell me about the Intersect." Ike demanded, leaning into Chuck's personal space. Chuck wasn't sure Ike was his actual name, but it was a little nicer to refer to him as Ike than Thug 1 or Thug 2.

Chuck licked his split lip. A helpless look crossing his features. For the past however many days, maybe weeks, Ike and his burly cohort Mike had repeated the same few questions over and over…

"What do you know about the intersect?" Nothing.

"Your company was completing security features for the Intersect." What? No, the programming is for security at National Mall. Right?

And Chuck's favorite question, "How do you contact Bryce Larkin." Uh, his cell phone? Email. Not like Chuck knew what either of those two things where today… _well that's not entirely true_. Bryce had tried to contact Chuck right before this happened. But he'd blocked the number. When he suggested calling Bryce, Ike really hadn't liked that idea.

After that Chuck gave up on answering. He never had anything new to add.

The only benefit to these "questions" was that this was literally the only time outside of potty breaks and meals that he was allowed to sit in a chair and enjoy the flickering lights overhead. The rest of his time was spent uncomfortably on the floor, handcuffed to a guardrail by his head. Ike insisted while in the unpleasant room his blindfold stayed on. Chucked had learned the hard way what would happen removing the blindfold.

No one ever answered his questions. They only asked him questions. It stunk. He could only imagine what Ellie and Morgan were thinking right now. And Jill. She probably thought him dead after their last conversation.

There was a tap at the door. Ike gave a frustrated sigh. He pushed away from the table and stepped into the hallway. Chuck took in a small breath, relaxing a little.

A feminine voice filtered through the room. Chuck tried to strain his ears.

"It's clear you aren't getting anywhere. It's time to try a different tactic."

 **1 month earlier. 2:50 PM Saturday, Parking Lot, Wienerlicious. Burbank, CA.**

Casey adjusts the volume on his headset and turns towards the Wienerlicious. A Large Mart employee slurps a soda in the outside seating area. Larkin and Walker are visible just through the glass. They take seats at a table close to the window. Roberts extends a hand towards Walker.

"Flight is in an hour. Keep this short Larkin." Casey speaks through his earpiece. Larkin gives a small nod.

"I…thank you for coming. I know you said if I remembered anything..." Jill starts.

"Chuck's our priority." Larkin answers.

Casey snorts. Sarah turns towards the SUV. Casey's glad he can't quite see her face.

"Bryce, how'd you find out about Chuck?" Jill asks. "I thought you took a job with a bank back East."

"It was just a cover." Larkin pauses. "Why'd you come back to California?"

After a moment, she responds almost to softly for the earpiece to pick up, "I'd made a mistake."

"I think I made a mistake too." Larkin responds.

"Geezus, can you speed this up at all?" Casey says into the earpiece.

"Dr. Roberts, what did you remember?" Sarah asks.

At that moment a server moves to the table, interrupting. "Uh, you guys need to buy something if you're going to stay here." The girl smiles sheepishly.

Casey presses his head back into the driver's seat with a scowl.

 **Same time, Ellie's Apartment, CA**

"Thank you for bringing Chuck's things by."

"Of course Ms. Bartowski. We'll have to hold onto his bag of course." The middle-aged detective says.

Ellie's hands wrap around Chuck's wallet. Her hands carefully flip the wallet open and slips the photo she knows Chuck keeps tucked behind his ID.

"We'll be in touch over the next few days. The fact that Charles wasn't left behind with Ms. Cagill is a good sign. That the chances of finding Chuck are good." The man gently shakes Ellie's hand before crossing to the door.

Ellie stands and follows him. She holds the door as he steps out.

"Thank you Detective Mauser. For everything."

 **Parking Lot, Wienerlicious. Burbank, CA.**

Walker approaches the counter putting in an order. Larkin and Roberts watch in silence. The serving girl fumbles around the kitchen. From the banging she's making, you'd think it was the girl's first day.

Roberts coughs. "Did you ever care about Chuck? Honestly care about what happens to him?"

Larkin is silent. Casey rolls his eyes.

"You could have ruined his life. For a while there, you did."

"He bounced back." Larkin answers.

"Tell me Bryce. Are Chuck's subliminal test scores accurate?"

Casey swears. He doesn't bother to listen as he pulls out his weapon.

As he's leaping from the car door, he hears the first shots. The man at the table outside the Wienerlicious intercepts Casey.

 **Seconds Before. Inside the Wienerlicious.**

Bryce freezes. Distantly he hears Sarah make a grab for her gun when the serving girl behind the counter leaps at her. Both wrestle on the floor. Sarah accidently discharges the gun towards the ceiling.

Bryce stumbles to his feet. Jill pulls out a gun. Bryce puts up his hands carefully.

"What's the real reason Fleming didn't recruit Chuck for Omaha?" Jill demands.

"You're Fulcrum?" Bryce is stunned.

A crash outside briefly startles the two. Casey struggles to find his feet after falling into the outside tables.

"You know we have the list."

"Yes."

"That's why you called Chuck earlier."

"Yes."

Bang. Sarah collapses to the ground behind the counter. The serving girl grips Sarah's hair and slams her head into the counter one more time. She moves around the counter to stand behind Bryce.

"If you'd just left Chuck alone, he'd be fine." Jill says.

"This is why you came back? To what? Monitor Chuck because of his test score? He's clearly not agent material."

"Oh honey, you never did see all the potential in Chuck did you? We don't care if he's an agent. Chuck has so much more to offer than being an Intersect candidate. The CIA might not want "cheaters" but we can overlook that. In fact it's down right enticing." Jill laughs.

Bryce swallows. "Where is he?"

Jill nods to the serving girl. Bryce's hands are yanked behind him.

"I would worry about yourself. Fulcrum is very interested in dissecting the only viable human intersect." Jill steps to the side, moving around the counter to Sarah. She raises her gun.

Bang.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note:

It's been a while. I'm sorry. That said, still not making promises on updates.

 **Previously:**

"If you'd just left Chuck alone, he'd be fine." Jill says.

"This is why you came back? To what? Monitor Chuck because of his test score? He's clearly not agent material."

"Oh honey, you never did see all the potential in Chuck did you? We don't care if he's an agent. Chuck has so much more to offer than being an Intersect candidate. The CIA might not want "cheaters" but we can over look that. In fact it's down right enticing." Jill laughs.

Bryce swallows. "Where is he?"

Jill nods to the serving girl. Bryce's hands are yanked behind him.

"I would worry about yourself. Fulcrum is very interested in dissecting the only viable human intersect." Jill steps to the side, moving around the counter to Sarah. She raises her gun.

Bang.

 **Now:**

The restaurant window shatters. Jill drops like a stone.

Bryce head butts the server, knocking her into the wall. The server pulls a gun from her skirt.

"Down!" Casey shouts from the sidewalk. Bryce ducks and Casey fires again.

The server slides down the wall.

"Shit."

"What?" Bryce turns to see Sarah kneeling over Jill.

"No pulse." Sarah, bleeding from her hairline, looks up to Bryce.

"Who cares? One less traitor," Casey responds as he steps over broken glass towards Bryce.

"She's the only one who knows how to find Chuck." Bryce turns to the wall as Casey cuts through the zip ties the server squeezed around his wrists.

Sarah slowly stands up, running a hand past her eyes. The blood trickles further down along her neck. "If they're this impressed with his scores they'll be careful when they test him. That gives us time."

Casey grunts. He side steps over Jill's body. Blood spreads like spilled milk under the motionless woman. "Time for them to do plenty of other things too." Casey says as he holsters his gun.

 **One month later, Undisclosed Location.**

Chuck slowly tilts his aching head back into what he assumes is the corner of the room, but it's hard to tell with the ever present blindfold. The more he thinks about it, he's not sure he's wearing the blindfold because they don't want him to see his environment for escape. With each passing day, Chuck attempts to prolong his "conversations" with Mike and Ike. It's a little pathetic, but the ability to see and absorb light is a critical as the Wii Sensor Bar is to bowling or Mario Kart.

Chuck sniffs and immediately regrets his choice. The bleach scent lingering in the room is nauseating. He slowly extends his legs out along the floor. Carefully, very carefully, Chuck slowly pulls his wrists along the pipe until the handcuffs catch on the corner.

He tenses for a moment, straining his ears. Nothing. He's alone. Every now and then Chuck's tormentors stay in the room to babysit. They never talk. Chuck's not sure if they're even Mike or Ike. The presence is always quiet and never pleased if Chuck moves too much. The punishment for movement or exploration is pain. Oftentimes the painful pressure or smack from the cold muzzle of a gun.

Not that it matters anymore. Everything hurts. It's like one of Devon's adrenaline junky adventure trips from hell. Ellie must be so worried. He can't imagine what the police told her.

Chuck exhales. It's hard to maintain a deeper train of thought. Something's changed in the last few days. The usual useless round of 20 questions has changed. More desperate and sinister. Not that the questions or the answers have actually changed. But something is different. His failure to provide new answers is gradually becoming more painful. It makes you wonder just who they think Chuck really is.

Click.

Chuck tenses.

The door slides open.

"Don't move."

 **1 month earlier. 4:00 PM Saturday, somewhere over Nebraska**

"Monitors have been put in place. They will observe the investigation into the incident at Roark Tower." Director Graham says through the video conference call.

"That's not good enough!" Bryce slaps his hand down on the trey in front of the computer screen.

Bryce, Sarah and Casey stand around the laptop in a private jet en-route to Washington. After the events at Wienerlicious, General Beckman ordered the team to board the flight as scheduled.

"Jill Roberts indicated that Fulcrum was watching Chuck. That this wasn't a sudden interest." Bryce asserts.

Beckman leans in from her side of the screen. "Jill Roberts is dead. Charles Bartowski is gone. There are no leads, no trail of evidence. No earthly reason for Fulcrum to monitor a college dropout beyond the Stanford List. What's worse is that you didn't report your connection to Bartowski. You acted on your own without orders. You will report in the minute you land."

Bryce's demeanor continues to darken with each word from Beckman. He opens his mouth to respond.

Graham cuts him off, "We are finished with this. We need to go down the rest of the list and bring them in." Graham ends the conference call.

Bryce slams the laptop shut in frustration before dropping into the nearest chair.

Casey moves towards the cockpit.

Sarah clears her throat as she sits down. "If Bartowski-"

"Chuck. His name is Chuck" Bryce whispers.

Sarah starts again, "If Chuck is this important, why did you turn him in for cheating?"

Bryce sighs.

Sarah doesn't understand Bryce's tight-lip response to this line of questioning after everything he's done since this all started. All the lies. All the misdirections. The lack of trust in his partner. Sarah's train of thought freezes. Oh. OH.

"Are you in love with him?" She asks.

"If Chuck were my blood brother, I couldn't love him more. He's my only friend."

Sarah silently bristles.

Bryce leans back. "Romantically? No. But, I think you know that." With that, Bryce looks up to stare searchingly into Sarah's eyes.

Sarah turns her head. She doesn't like this direction. This isn't the time or place. It might never be the time or place again.

Bryce briefly closes his eyes.

"Then why'd you do it?"

"You'd like Chuck. You might not think much as first, but he has a way of befriending every person he meets." Bryce pauses again, as if this was a terrible confession.

Sarah thinks Bryce is hedging. She's surprised when he continues.

"I'd never had a friend like that before Stanford. I joined the CIA to protect people like Chuck. When I learned that Flemming wanted to recruit Chuck too, I thought it would be awesome. I'd be able to work with my best friend. But then…"

"What happened?" Sarah asks.

"I…A…a man approached me over spring break. He said he worked for the CIA. Said that Flemming wasn't just recruiting new field agents; he was testing and locating candidates for a top-secret operation using fringe science. The man said that if the CIA caught wind of Flemming's recent test results, that Chuck wouldn't be given a choice. He'd be forced to volunteer for the operation. The man was certain that Chuck was a perfect candidate, but that the science wasn't ready yet. There was no way Chuck would survive the initial trials."

Sarah leans in. "The trials for the Intersect?"

Bryce nods. "I thought it was another test. I thought the CIA was testing me….it wasn't a test. The man had proof. I freaked out. Chuck was in danger. I had to do something…the rest, well you know the rest."

Sarah is thoughtful. Bryce has never shown this level care for another individual in their short time together as partners. She didn't think he was capable of this.

One last question floats to the surface.

"Who was the man?"

"Orion."

 **One month later, Undisclosed Location.**

Most likely Mike and Ike drag Chuck down a long corridor. Chuck stumbles as he tries to find his feet after sitting on the cold floor for so long.

Somewhere up ahead a door opens and Chuck is shuffled into the room and forced into a seat. Hands move quickly to secure Chuck to a metal chair before whipping off his blindfold.

The harsh solitary light temporarily blinds Chuck. He squints.

He's alone. For the first time in however long he's been here, the door to the interrogation room is open. If Chuck had super speed he'd be through that door before he can bling an eye. But he doesn't have super powers. Damn.

A soft whimpering is heard from outside the room. It gets closer and closer and louder and louder, until Mike and Ike appear to be dragging a petite third person between them.

Dread fills Chuck's stomach as the person…it's gotta be a woman, but a black bag covers her face, but several strands of long brown hair poke around the edges of the bag….is forced down into Mike's usual chair.

The thugs…cause that's what they are…. quickly secure the woman. They step away from the woman as another man with a vivid scar across one cheek strides into the room.

"Hi Charles, my name's Tommy. Let's be friends."

Tommy reaches for the black bag and yanks it off the woman.


	7. Chapter 7

**Then:**

Another man with a vivid scar across one cheek, strides into the room.

"Hi Charles. My name's Tommy. Let's be friends.

Tommy reaches for the black bag and yanks it off the woman.

 **Now:**

 **Present Time: Undisclosed Location.**

Chuck's insides turn to ice as tiny prickles dance along his neck. He clenches his fists and attempts to lean in closer, but can't.

It's Jill.

She's disoriented, eyes wildly bouncing around the room. She looks horrible. Her skin is sallow with deep circles under her eyes. What the hell is going on?

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Jill," Chuck starts to ramble. "Oh god, Jill are you okay?"

 **One Month Ago: Ellie's Apartment**

Ellie sits ridged on the couch as Devon slowly rubs her back. Detective Mauser stands across from them in a defeated pose.

"Are you sure Miss Roberts didn't take off to visit her family?" Mauser asks with notebook and pen in hand.

"She promised Chuck she'd never leave again." Ellie is firm in her answer. After all the shit Jill put Chuck through, Ellie made the biologist swear to not to screw her brother over again. Jill made a tearful promise to Ellie.

"Did they take her too?" Devon asks.

"It's looking likely. Phone records show she made a final call to her Uncle Bernard after she met with the CIA Agents about Chuck."

Devon internally winces. "Do you know what they talked about in the meeting?"

Mauser looks up from his notebook. "Not yet, but we hope to know what happened very soon."

Ellie sniffles. If Chuck comes home, there's no way he could survive losing Jill twice.

 **Present Time: Undisclosed Location**

Tommy leans back against the wall smirking behind Jill. Mike exits and Ike assumes position by the door.

Jill connects with Chuck's eyes for a brief moment. "Chuck?"

Jill doesn't seem to be all there. Oh God, has she been here the whole time? Did she come to the office when he didn't call back? She leans back in her chair, twisting her arms against her binds. Chuck can tell she's starting to spiral.

"Hey. Hey Jill. It's me. Everything is going to be okay. It's okay. We're okay."

As Chuck continues to speak soothing words, Jill physically starts to slow down. She's able to maintain eye contact. Every now and then she whispers, "Chuck" like a lifeline.

Snick.

Chuck freezes. He'd almost forgotten they weren't alone.

Tommy twirls a switchblade in his hands from his casual position along the wall.

"Well isn't this just wonderful? Romeo and Juliet together again." Tommy pushes off the wall and moves to stand behind Jill. He smiles widely at Chuck as he slowly puts his hand down on Jill's shoulder.

Jill tenses.

"I thought we could all get to know each other. Be real good buddies." Tommy tightens his grip. Jill's eyes never leave Chuck.

Chuck's mouth feels like sandpaper. "Aren't we? I mean we can be best buddies. We just need to get to know each other over drinks. Or I don't know, maybe have actually met before?"

Tommy chuckles. "We've met. In fact, we've spent several hours together in your little suite here. I've also been listening in to your lovely little dates with my coworkers."

Chuck shudders. "You should have introduced yourself sooner."

"I just wanted to know how to be a good friend to you, Chuck Bartowski." If it's even possible, Tommy's grin gets Cheshire Cat creepy.

Chuck swallows. "Look I don't know anything. Jill doesn't know anything. She's a biologist. I fix computers. I've been honest this whole time. I don't know what you want."

"Ah, but you see, you both hurt my feelings. I don't feel like I've gotten to know either of you very well. I don't think my questions have been hard to answer."

Tommy slowly brings around his hand wielding the knife to rest over Jill's other shoulder.

Chuck tries to hold in a whimper. Tommy's grip on the knife is loose, in a comfortable casual sort of manner. Jill closes her eyes.

This guy is a psycho. Who would ever want to be friends with him? Chuck turns briefly to Ike with what must have looked like a pathetic plea for help. Ike continues to stare straight ahead.

"Now normally I'd like to say I have all the time in the world to get past these hurt feelings, but we're on somewhat of a schedule. Therefore I'm going to give each of you one more chance. Just one more chance to make nice and be friends."

In a flash, Tommy moves his empty hand to yank Jill's greasy brown hair as the switchblade is brought to her neck.

Jill whimpers as blood drips from the sharp edge.

"So the first person to tell me where the Intersect is gets to live."

Oh god. Chuck pulls at his binds.

"I don't know. Please I don't know. I don't know what an intersect is. Please don't hurt her. She doesn't know anything. Please." Chuck pleads.

Tommy shakes his head and starts to pull the knife. Jill winces as a stream of blood pours down her neck. Chuck's pleas pour out of his mouth.

"I know where Bryce Larkin is."

 **Two Weeks Ago: Safe House, Washington DC**

Casey and Bryce sit across from each other at a fold out table in a tiny loft apartment. Files lay scattered around the table. They each work, taking notes and reading documents. The room is silent except for the hum of the air conditioner and pens on paper.

Casey and Bryce have entered into an uncomfortable truce. The work needs to get done so yelling and fisti-cuffs can wait for later.

The mission like the previous one with Larkin is a total bust. The team was too late in locating the top ten individuals on the Flemming flunky list. They'd all disappeared. Although in less public and horrific circumstances than Bartowski's. That said they had found a handful of the losers.

Speaking of Bartowski, there'd been no fresh leads. Director Graham put a black mark on Larkin's records for his deception. A normal agent would have been booted from the Agency; however, because of Larkin's current status as the fake Intersect, there really wasn't much the CIA could do. They needed Larkin. Fuck-ups and all.

The front door banged up. Both Casey and Larkin whipped out guns as they turned towards the door.

Sarah quickly shut the door and approached the table. The men set their guns down.

Sarah set down the duffle bag she brought in. 

"I just got word from Beckman that another Fulcrum dumpsite's been found. At least two of the bodies are individuals from the Stanford List."

 **Present Time: Undisclosed Location.**

"I know where Bryce Larkin is."

What?

Tommy freezes as Chuck stares at Jill.

Jill strains away from the knife. She starts softly but her voice gains volume as she continues. "I know where Bryce Larkin is. We've been in touch recently. If you let Chuck go, I'll help you find him."

"You know where Bryce is?" Chuck stutters, floored.

Tommy pulls the knife away. Jill takes a deep breath. "We'd been meeting over drinks after work. Chuck, I'm so sorry. It was an accident. We-"

"Isn't this touching?" Tommy interrupts. "See I knew we weren't being honest with each other. For the record, Chuck, I believe you when you say you don't know anything." Tommy sends a meaningful look to Ike. The thug nods and approaches Chuck with a gun in his hand.

Jill panics. "Wait! Please! You have to let Chuck go!"

Ike raises the gun, releases the safety and presses the barrel into the side of his head.

Chuck closes his eyes, bracing for the end. Images of Ellie flicker behind his closed eyelids.

"Please, I'll tell you anything you want. Anything."

"Tell me about the intersect." Tommy demands.

"Promise me that you'll let Chuck go."

"Promise."

"I'll tell you everything." Jill whispers.

The cold barrel drops away. Chuck opens his eyes to meet Jill's teary gaze.

"Perfect." Tommy sets the switchblade on the table. He steps around Jill's left side and seizes her hand. His large fingers grip her wedding finger. Jill tries and fails to make a fist. He yanks her small engagement rink off her finger.

"Take her away."

Ike taps on the door. Mike enters. The two start to release Jill from the chair.

Chuck is lost. Nothing makes sense anymore. Jill knows what these guys are looking for? What the hell?

A tear falls down Jill's cheek. She mouths, "I'm sorry" as Mike and Ike drag her from the room.

Tommy approaches Chuck. He holds the ring in front of Chuck's face.

"To remember her by." Tommy stuffs the ring in the front pocket of Chuck's ruined work shirt.

Two new goons enter the room and move to stand on either side of Chuck.

"You're letting me go?" Chuck whispers.

Tommy smirks.

Whatever crazy adrenaline rush that's propelled Chuck through these last minutes washes away. Chuck feels boneless. This is it. No five-year plan. No wedding.

"And Jill?"

"We're BFF's forever."

Tommy nods to the goons. One pulls out a long syringe and clear bottle with viscous green liquid as the other starts to release Chuck from the chair.

The needle is prepared and then pressed against his neck. The green liquid is injected.

Chuck starts to feel fuzzy almost immediately. His head falls back as he's lifted from the chair and dragged across the room.

He loses track of time and place.

Suddenly, he's being lifted up into a reclining chair and strapped down. Colors swirl around him.

A pair of familiar voices drift around him.

"Everything is in place. We can begin the final tests before the upload."

"And Sandstorm?"

"Delivered."

"Good to see we didn't waste our resources."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**

Thank you for all the lovely feedback. So you know, I have outlined the major plot points for the story. I don't know how many chapters this will turn out to be, but I know where it's going to end up. Cheers. –RoyalNav.

 **Two Weeks Ago: NSA Morgue, California**

"If you'll follow me," says an overly cheerful assistant in lime green high tops. He sweeps his hand towards the back door with a smile. He pivots as he pushes open the door and heads down a narrow hallway.

Sarah waits for Casey and Bryce to pass by. She turns to the main entrance, locks the doors and hits the office lights before bringing up the rear. After the discovery of the new Fulcrum dumpsite in the middle of nowhere, California, the team packed up quickly and caught the next flight out to LAX.

Beckman issued orders to permanently relocate the team to LA. The last two Fulcrum dumpsites were in the area.

Sarah steps into the morgue as the assistant opens several body drawers one after the other. Casey pulls on a pair of gloves before tossing the box at Bryce.

On the flight over, Sarah had observed Bryce fingering a photograph of Bryce and Chuck back at college.

It hurt.

It hurt that after everything Sarah had gone through with Bryce to discover he didn't trust her. Didn't trust her with the Intersect. With his past and with their relationship. It hurt that the only person, Bryce trusted was a friend he screwed over years ago and hadn't spoken to in just as long.

Yes, agents should always adhere to the cardinal rule of spies, but she thought they were different.

"Walker."

Sarah blinks.

Bryce holds out a pair of gloves. The assistant and Casey stare.

Sarah grabs the gloves and shoves them on.

"I thought there were only two individuals from the list found at the site?" Sarah points towards the row of nine bodies.

"Correct. Body A: Agent Nicholas Quinn and Body D: Agent Victoria Dunwoody." The assistant answers. He points out the two.

"I don't understand then. What are all these others here for?" Sarah asks.

"Because they all exhibited a similar medical emergency that either directly led to their cause of death or attributed to it." The assistant steps up to Quinn's body and tilts the head back. Of all the bodies, this one is fresh. Quinn's face is still smooth. Decay hasn't visibly set in.

Casey, Bryce and Sarah move in around the body.

"See here?" The assistant carefully points at Quinn's eyes before gently prying open one eye. "We found traces of bleeding from both eyes, ears and nose. His clothes indicated a heavy blood flow. Doctor Bishop performed an MRI and found strong indicators for a massive brain hemorrhage. We initially found similar visuals clues on four of the deceased."

Sarah and Casey share a look. Bryce stares down at Quinn's face.

Casey grunts. "What about the others?"

It's then that Sarah notices a few of the bodies have a single gunshot wound to the head.

"We initially labeled them as executions. But, what are the odds that four of nine would die from brain hemorrhages? Bishop scanned the others and found that the remaining five also experienced severe brain hemorrhages, although not on the same scale as the others. If these ones hadn't been shot, there's very little chance they'd have lived very long. I have the scans over here."

The assistant steps away, pulling off his gloves as he goes. He grabs a folder and hands it off to Casey's out stretched hand.

Bryce turns to the assistant. "What would have caused the bleeding?"

"It's hard to say. All the individuals were in excellent physical condition. No heavy narcotics were found in the blood work. I can only postulate it's an environmental cause. Without more information it's hard to tell." The assistant pauses biting his lip.

"You found something else?" Bryce asks.

"Well, we can't validate the idea, but Dr. Bishop noticed unusual wrinkles on each of the brains. You typically don't see this occur in adults in this age range, only the elderly. It's almost like they were being experimented on. Possibly to accelerate brain capacity"

Casey nods at Sarah.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Smith. We'll take it from here." Sarah smiles at the assistant as she guides him out the room before closing and locking the door.

 **Present Time: Observation Deck, Undisclosed Location**

Jill slowly eases herself into a chair next to Zarnow in the stark white room.

Two computer stations fill the small space. A single observation window fills one wall. On the other side is a single black medical chair with straps. Various machines surround the empty chair. A couple of scientists move around the testing room, plugging in machines. Zarnow's hands fly across the keyboard, entering long strands of code.

Jill carefully leans back in the chair. She winces as pain shoots through her chest. She gently massages a spot just above her heart where the doctors dug out the NSA agent's bullet.

The door to the observation deck opens. Tommy enters. Jill drops her hand.

"Careful Jill. You wouldn't want to rip those stitches again." Tommy sneers.

Jill chooses to ignore him. Instead she watches the door open to the testing room. Two men in scrubs drag an unconscious Chuck into the room. They swiftly get him strapped securely into the black medical chair.

Chuck looks terrible. He'd clearly lost some weight in his time here. Small cuts and bruises covered his exposed skin. The dark circles around his eyes combined with his dirty hair give him a crazed raccoon look.

A small wave of guilt hits her as she watches the scientists connect wires to Chuck's forehead. It dissipates as Tommy moves to stand behind her.

Jill tries to contain a shiver. Tommy is scary as hell. Ever since he became her handler after Leader's death every day has felt like a never-ending nightmare.

She can't feel guilty. Feelings get you killed.

Initially, Jill was horrified when she learned Fulcrum wanted her to return to LA and seduce Chuck. She'd always felt terrible about how she handled the Stanford breakup. Sleeping with Bryce was effective but weighed on her mind long after.

At first, Leader refused to disclose Fulcrum's interest in the curly haired nerd. When Jill learned the truth, she briefly entertained the idea of coming clean to Chuck about everything, especially after Leader's death. While she was no longer in love with him, he deserved a fighting chance.

Tommy caught wind of her plan and Jill quickly changed heart.

It was her remaining family or Chuck's life. A no brainer. Ever since, every choice she made didn't just impact her chance at survival but her family too.

"That should be you in the chair." Tommy whispers. "Your earlier performance with Bartowski is the only reason you're not. If you ever fail to bring Larkin in again, you'll be next."

Jill maintains her forward gaze. "Understood, sir."

"Good. Glad to know we're on the same page." Tommy smiles.

"You're going through with the upload?" Jill asks.

"We have all the bugs fixed. Isn't that right Zarnow?"

Zarnow pauses his furious coding. "I believe we have isolated the coding errors. A few more simulations and we should meet our deadline."

"Good. We wouldn't want to waste our prize racehorse. Roberts, that means you have until the deadline to locate Orion and bring him in. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to verify the procedure before we use his son."

Tommy moves to the observation window. The scientists move between the monitors as the stress tests begin.

 **Two Weeks Ago: NSA Morgue, California**

Bryce slowly moves down the row of bodies. Each is in different stages of decomposition.

He looks at each one before moving back to Quinn's body.

Bryce grabs the white sheet and slowly pulls it over Quinn's face.

"He was supposed to be the first Intersect." Bryce sighs. "Fulcrum brought him in right after the Intersect was destroyed over a year ago."

"So they haven't been successful yet." Casey closes the medical folder and passes it over to Sarah.

Sarah quickly flips through the ME's notes and MRI scans.

She moves over to an empty gurney and starts to lay out the reports.

"They must have been testing their Intersect. Based on these reports, each victim's time of death was spaced out by two months. If Quinn's been missing this long, why wait till now to test him?" Sarah muses.

Bryce moves to look over her shoulder. Sarah can feel the heat emanating from his body. She looks at him out of the corner of her eye. Bryce's eyes scan quickly across the names and estimated times of death for each. He pulls out his phone and starts to cross-reference the bodies that had been recovered previously and the ones in the room that were on the Stanford list.

Bryce sets his phone down and looks to Casey and then Sarah. "Look. It's the scores."

Casey moves forward and examines Bryce's findings. Casey grunts, "They burned through the lower scores first. That's why Quinn was kept alive longer. They want to increase their chances with each cycle."

"Chuck has the highest score of everyone. They're saving him for last." Bryce looks hopeful.

Sarah looks away. "He's the next one on the list. There's no one left to test."

Bryce grabs his phone and heads towards the door. "Then we'd better move fast."

Casey snorts. "Where do you think you're going?"

Bryce pauses. "To Chuck's sister. Jill Roberts was handling Chuck as more than just an Intersect candidate. We might be able to find something she left behind."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

Occasionally there will be fowl language, but not to the point where I think I need to up the rating.

 **Two Weeks ago: Casa Bartowski**

Bryce takes a deep breath. He raises his fist and gives the door a firm series of knocks.

Movement can be heard in the apartment. The door unlocks and opens just enough for Ellie to be seen but still shielded by the doorframe.

Bryce takes a small step back. Ellie looks exhausted and he doesn't really want a repeat of last time.

"Bryce."

"Hi, Ellie."

The door remains cracked.

"Would it, uh, be possible to talk inside?" Bryce takes a small pause. "Please. It's about Chuck."

Ellie gives a small nod and moves away from the door.

Bryce slides in and carefully closes the door. Ellie curls up on the couch, pulling her grey sweater tightly around her arms.

Bryce takes in the messy living area. Old newspapers and computer articles cover the dining table. A half dozen dirty coffee mugs lie around in various places.

Bryce swallows and then moves to the nearest chair facing Ellie.

She stares at him. She looks emotionally wrung out. He's going to have guide this conversation.

"How're you holding up?"

"Jill's missing." Ellie says softly.

"I'd heard."

"They can't find her too."

"She's not my priority." Bryce responds.

"She-"

Bryce leans forward elbows resting on his knees, "Chuck is my priority. You may not believe me, Ellie, but his safety has always been my priority."

"Bullshit." Ellie snarls. Her fingers turn white as she clutches the sweater tighter.

"I can't change the past, but I would swap places with Chuck in a heartbeat if that meant he was safe."

"You have news on Chuck?"

"We have a lead. I'm here to follow up on that lead."

Ellie sinks back into the couch. "I've told the police everything I know."

"Our investigation indicated Chuck hasn't moved in with Jill. I was hoping you'd let me look around his room?"

 **One Week Ago: Lobby, Roark Tower**

As Sarah steps inside Roark Tower, a shiver runs up her spine as the air conditioning combats the heat outside. She pulls off her sunglasses and gives a nod to Casey.

The two approach the security guard's desk.

Casey flashes his badge to a burly man behind the desk.

"The NSA sent Agent Walker and myself to follow up on the Cagill-Bartowski incident." Casey grunts.

"Do you have an appointment scheduled?" the guard asks as he extends his hand for the badge.

Casey reluctantly lets it go.

"No. But we need to speak with Mr. Bartowski's supervisor."

The guard types furiously at the keyboard. "Someone will be down shortly."

Casey gives Sarah a side-eye. She turns subtly to do a quick scan of the lobby. There's not much traffic. There are several new security cameras in place since the last time they were in the building.

The elevators behind the desk ding. A tall grey haired man exists. He makes a beeline for the desk. The man leans down to quietly confer with the security guard. Casey's badge is handed off.

"Mr. Bergey these two agents want to speak with you about Mr. Bartowski." The guard says loud enough for Casey and Sarah to hear.

Casey clears his throat and steps closer to the desk.

"We were hoping to ask you a few questions about Mr. Bartowski's work here. We believe it may be helpful with the investigation." Sarah interjects before Casey can open his mouth.

The man moves around the desk. He looks down at Casey's badge before holding it out to Casey.

"I'm sorry Major Casey and, ah, Agent Walker. I don't think that will be possible. You see, we've been assigned a liaison with the FBI. It's a very sensitive situation. We need to protect our company assets. If you need something, you should have reached out to our liaison."

Bergey gives a short nod to the two agents. He turns to the security guard. "Mr. Angiers, please escort these two from the premises." The man pivots and heads back towards the elevators.

The security guard stands up.

Casey and Sarah share a look. _What the hell just happened?_

 **Five Days Ago: Casa Bartowski**

Bryce falls back onto Chuck's bed. He stares at the ceiling.

After a few more tense minutes, Ellie had finally let Bryce into the room. He made quick work of rooting through the room.

He was disturbed to find at least two bugs strategically placed around the room. Jill must have placed them.

It was too naive to hope that Chuck had brought work assignments home with him. There were no print outs of computer code, master plans or post-it reminders and while Bryce was a decent hacker he knew better than to attempt getting access to Chuck's computer. Chuck's external hard-drive was no help either. It was literally toast.

He'd have to haul the computer back with him to the base to have Casey take a stab at it.

Bryce turned his head to stare at the _Tron_ poster hanging over the computer. Bryce smiled. Some things never change.

A framed picture of Chuck with Jill catches his eye. He reaches out to pick it up.

Beep.

Bryce turns his head.

Beep.

It's the computer. A cursor has popped up on the computer. Bryce slides off the bed to sit in front of the machine.

Letters start to appear.

 _Are you secure?_

Bryce looks towards the cracked door and then types. _Yes._

A pause before more letters pop up on the screen.

 _Proof of life._

Bryce stares at the screen. The words fade. A grainy security feed pops up.

It's Chuck.

At least he's sure it's him. Chuck's slouched against a wall in a holding cell, hands secured to a rail. The curly hair is unmistakable, even if he can't see Chuck's whole face behind the blindfold.

The feed cuts to black. Words fill the screen. Bryce's cut twists.

 _Location Unknown. Intercepted Fulcrum chatter. Messenger terminated._ The words fade.

Bryce's types a quick response. _Send files for analysis to secured location._

The screen stays black for a moment before a final response pops up:

 _They are watching Eleanor. Don't come back._

 **Five Days Ago: 12:45 AM, 10** **th** **Floor, Roark Tower**

The floor is dark. The night janitor has long since pushed his trolley into the elevator hours ago.

Since the incident, the floor has largerly remained empty. The lobby area is in transition. The carpet's been recently replaced and new furniture brought in. All workers on the floor had been relocated temporarily for the investigation and the eventual remodeling job.

Click. The stairwell door pushes open. Two figures in black slip through. One sweeps a flashlight across the lobby before motioning the partner into the office area. The two stride past cubicles before stopping at a door with police tape sealing off the door. The larger figures stands sentry as the smaller one makes quick work of the lock and cutting through the seal.

They move into the office and shut the door. The smaller figure rips off her mask.

"Check the computer." Sarah points towards the desk.

Casey quickly moves behind the computer. Sarah moves around the office. Nerd culture references decorate the walls. Bartowksi kept a clean workspace. The only disorder was a white board covered in dozens and dozens of sticky notes full of coding and math equations. Nothing is labeled.

There are no filing cabinets. No place to hide anything. Sarah steps behind Casey. She bends down to start going through the drawers.

"Nerd's smart." Casey grunts. "I can't get through, not without alerting anyone."

"Here." Sarah sets a special small external drive on the desk. "Make a copy. We'll add it to the computer from the apartment. Analysts can do the heavy lifting."

Casey grabs the drive and plugs it in.

Sarah turns back to the drawers. Useless. There's nothing here. A small blue box catches Sarah's eye. Carefully, she opens the box. It's a silver charm bracelet. Sarah fingers the jewelry. A folded note is pressed into the lid.

Curiosity gets the better of Sarah. She unfolds the note and scans the text. A small smile graces her face.

"Done. Let's beat it." Casey powers the computer down.

Sarah quickly replaces the note. She pockets the box. Casey stares.

 **Five Days Ago: Casa Bartowski**

Ellie silently watches Bryce exit the courtyard with Chuck's computer. Once he turns the corner, Ellie pulls out her phone and dials.

After a few rings, someone on the other line answers.

"Hi, Detective Mauser? You asked me to call if Bryce Larkin ever came back."

 **Five Days Ago: 1:20 AM, Roark Tower Main Lobby**

Casey and Sarah duck into a darkened office. So much for an easy operation. Casey carefully pulls out his gun and presses close to the door, straining an ear.

Two figures slowly walk down the hallway, past the door and stop several feet away. Casey can just make out a petite woman and a tall balding man talking.

"Output is still down. We need to get this back on schedule. When is the operation scheduled?" The balding man says.

"For the 20th." The woman responds.

Casey swears softly. _Roberts? How is that possible?_

Sarah clicks the safety off her gun. Casey holds up a hand. Points to his ear and then the door.

The man is speaking again. "Take this with you. Zarnow needs it for the final tests."

Sarah moves to get up and Casey grabs her arm. The two get into the silent argument.

Trust Walker to engage in enemy territory. The two stop as Roberts and the man separate. Roberts exits the building.

Casey makes a quick motion to Walker. The two quickly and carefully exit the building in time to see Roberts walking into the parking lot.

"We need to tail her. If we engage now, she'll end up dead." Casey whispers.

Sarah grudgingly nods.


	10. Chapter 10

**Five Days Ago: City Streets**

"Turn left." Walker leans forward in the passenger seat. Her eyes are locked onto Robert's car several lengths ahead.

Casey gasses the pedal as he turns through the intersection. For the past forty-five minutes, they'd been tailing Robert's convertible around LA.

Robert's was an awful agent. How could you not pick up on the tail after an hour? She was getting reckless. Casey smiles.

They pursue her car down increasingly more suburban streets.

"You said she was dead." Casey accuses.

"There wasn't a pulse. That says dead to me."

Casey grunts.

Sarah narrows her eyes. "It's not like we hung around to wrap up the investigation."

They turn right.

Casey looks at Walker. "You and Larkin get your lady feelings fixed up?"

"I don't think it's your business."

"It is when it affects the job."

Sarah sighs. "Then you have nothing to worry about. Whatever it was that Larkin and I had was over the minute he attempted to steal the Interest the first time."

"Heh" Casey turns the car left.

"He didn't trust me."

"I didn't think fu-shit!" Casey slams on the breaks. Walker braces herself on the dashboard. The car screeches to a stop as an Amtrak barrels through the rail crossing.

Casey gets one more glimpse at Robert's car as it turns down another street, before the train blocks their view.

* * *

 **Across Town:**

Bryce unlocks the hotel door. He reaches down and lifts up Chuck's computer. He hauls it into the room and sets it down on the floor by the mini table in the suite.

He sets about plugging in the computer and connecting it to his laptop on the table. Bryce sighs as he opens decryption software to start breaking into Chuck's desktop.

Once that's set, Bryce leans back in his chair and stares at the screen. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the photo of him and Chuck at Stanford. He's been doing this a lot lately.

Those were much better times. He can't help but wonder if he'd let Chuck be recruited how things would be different. What if Project Omaha wasn't a fucking mess? Would they work missions together? Would he still be with Sarah?

He thoughts turn dark as Sarah reminds him of Jill. When had Fulcrum gotten their claws into her? Was it the same time he was plotting his betrayal? Is that why she was so willing to crush Chuck's heart then? Or after, when Orion made the terrible mistake of revealing he had family?

Bryce should have kept a much closer eye on Chuck once Orion came to him several months ago about the Intersect. The least he could have done was check. What was perhaps worse was Orion's lack of intervention in his children's lives.

They'd all messed up.

The computer beeps. The screen goes black and a white cursor pops up.

 _Location Secure?_

Bryce types a quick response. _Yes._

Words pop-up on the screen. _Sending intercepted files._

A window pops up briefly in the corner of the screen, signaling a new file download.

Bryce responds: _Received._ He hesitates. _Did you know about Jill Roberts?_

The words fade from the screen. Bryce holds his breath for a moment before Orion's response shows up.

 _No._ The word dissolves before: _I was distracted. There were bigger concerns._

Bryce sighs. _Bigger than your son?_

Orion's response takes much longer. _Yes._

 _I have his computer. We need to break into it. Fulcrum was handling him for another reason._

Orion's response is much quicker. _Can you access files?_

Bryce shakes his head and then remembers to type. _I'm not a skilled hacker. Casey is our best shot._

 _Sending a special package. Use package to access files._

 _Where?_

Two words pop-up: _Burbank Buymore._

* * *

 **Three Hours Later: Hotel**

Sarah sits in front of Bryce's laptop back in the room with the boys standing behind her as they debrief General Beckman and Director Graham.

"While we lost Roberts, we were able to narrow her location to the Meadow Brooks Subdivision. Security cameras near the entrances to the neighborhood indicate Roberts hasn't left." Sarah says.

Casey joins in. "Nothing in Roberts' background reveals a connection to any current homeowners."

The General nods her head. "You will continue pursing leads the bodies recovered from the dumpsite and investigate this lead with Roberts. We'll regroup in 120 hours. Dismissed."

The General terminates the video call.

Sarah moves to get up. She pauses twisted in her seat. Casey is staring down Bryce.

"What now?" She asks.

"Numb Nuts here, didn't report the computer or the hard drive. I'd like to know why."

Bryce crosses his arms. "There's a leak."

"What?" Sarah exclaims.

"Think about it. It's the only way Jill didn't die. We didn't stick around the restaurant after we neutralized her. The CIA containment team did. They processed the site and were responsible for handling the bodies."

Casey grunts. "That's plausible."

Bryce looks at Sarah. "If we reported our acquisition of Chuck's computers, we could ruin an advantage we desperately need. There's something on those computers that will fill in some of the blanks."

Sarah stands and moves over to sit on the bed. "But we can't access the hard drives."

"I know…" Bryce hesitates as he looks between his partners. "That's why I've asked Orion to help."

"Orion's wanted by the CIA." Casey snarls. He advances on Bryce.

"Casey! Wait!" Sarah moves to stand between the men. "Let him explain. I think we can trust him."

Casey grunts. He steps away from Bryce.

Bryce mouths _thank you_ to Sarah.

"The first thing you need to know is there's a package being delivered to Chuck's best friend at the Burbank Buymore. This package can get us into the computers…"

* * *

 **Four Days Ago: Outside The Burbank Buymore**

Bryce looks at Sarah from the driver's seat of a dark suburban. "I'll meet you at the loading docks.

Sarah nods and enters the Buymore.

Bryce rolls up the window watching her go in before driving the car around to the service entrance. He parks the suburban and scopes the area.

No one is around.

Bryce pulls a ball cap around his head climbs out and heads to the employee door.

He leans up against a post by the door. He pulls out a phone and shoots off a text to Casey.

After confessing to Casey his past relationship with Orion and Orion's connection to Chuck, Bryce was able to clear the air about several things. It was first time in a long time where he was able to come clean about most things.

With everything on the table, they were able to come with a game plan. Sarah and Bryce would handle cracking the computers and getting the package from the Buymore while Casey would complete surveillance on the subdivision.

Bryce still needed to lie low, so Sarah would collect Orion's package.

The employee door banged open.

None other than Morgan Grimes came bursting out the door. Chuck's childhood friend puffed his chest.

"What the hell do you want?"

Bryce locks eyes briefly with the towering blond behind Morgan.

"Morgan, this is an emergency. We really need your help." Bryce says pushing off the post.

"Ellie said if you can around again, I was supposed to call her first." Morgan pulls out his phone.

Bryce can't remember Morgan having this much of a backbone in the past.

"Morgan this is a life or death emergency. You can't call Ellie. Not about us being here."

"Why?"

Sarah interrupts. "Because we believe they people who took Chuck are watching the apartment."

Morgan's eyes open wide. "What?"

"If they know we're hanging around, they might do something hasty. You understand what I'm saying Morgan?" Bryce picks up.

Morgan's shoulders slump. "Yeah."

"Good." Bryce sets his hand on Morgan's shoulder. "We have a favor to ask. There was a special package delivered here this morning. We need it."

"You mean the Roark Instruments R7 laptop?"

"Is that what came today? Who was it addressed to?" Bryce asks.

"It was really weird. It was addressed to Chuck. But he's not worked here for months. Well, I guess not weird. We still get stuff all the time addressed to Chuck. I had to hide it from Lester and Jeff."

Sarah moves in closer. "We need that computer. Can you get it for us?"

"Uh, sure. Wait here."

* * *

 **Four Days Ago: Undisclosed Location**

Chuck is trying really hard to avoid hurling. He presses his sweaty head into his arms. It's one of the few times he's been thankful for the blindfold. The darkness keeps the nausea at bay.

Today was awful. Scratch that, the last several days have been awful and he hadn't believed things could get worse.

Since watching Jill be taken away, Chuck's daily routine had completely changed.

 _They'd_ begun experimenting on him. At least that's what it seems like. He's been dragged back and forth between his current residence and a large white room with a single black medical chair. Each time, they pump full of drugs and connect leads to his forehead. They flash images on the screen, ask him questions. Sometimes he wakes up strapped down to the chair, not sure how he got there. Other times he's sure he's not even awake when he's in that room, but the migraine he gets from being there is pulsing.

There's no telling what they're measuring, but he knows that they're building to something.

Chuck accidentally gets a whiff of the bleach-scented air. He struggles to hold his stomach down. Oh god. Don't hurl. The smell of vomit would make him sicker.

He spends most of his time in a drug-induced haze. His concentration has spiraled down. When he's lucid, he thinks of his sister and Morgan. He tries to ignore Jill's engagement ring burning a hole in his shirt pocket. If he thinks of her, he starts to imagine all the horrible things Tommy must be doing to her. And Chuck can't do anything. He's totally helpless.

Chuck jerks violently as a hand ruffles his hair. Someone's in the room.

"Hiya, Chuck. How're you doing?" Tommy asks as he pulls his hand away.

"Splendid." Chuck whispers.

"Hmm" Tommy's hand reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out the wedding ring. He drags the edge the small diamond across Chuck's face drawing blood. Chuck holds his breath.

"Pretty ring. Family heirloom?"

"My grandmothers."

"Very sentimental."

"What'd you do with Jill?"

Tommy chuckles as he slowly drags the ring along one of his chained hands. "Don't worry. She's alive. Being a good girl."

"What are you doing to me?"

"Making sure you're special."

"Special how?"

He starts to drag the ring down his other arm.

"Are you a good boy, Chuck?"

Chuck swallows, actively trying to not barf all over Tommy. "I try."

"Ahh. The sedatives do a real number on you, don't they? Tell you what. We won't administer anymore if you can answer one more question."

Chuck nods his head.

"How do I get in contact with Orion?"

"Who?"

"Orion." Tommy twists the ring into Chuck's neck.

"I swear I've never heard that name before."

"You'd swear on Jill's life?"

Blood is dripping down Chuck's neck.

"I have no clue who you're talking about."

"Pity." Tommy pulls the ring away from his neck. Chuck feels it fall back into his pocket. Tommy gives it a pat.

A second later, Chuck loses consciousness as Tommy delivers a sharp blow to his head.

"Your pops really left you as easy pickings."


	11. Chapter 11

**Four Days Ago: Hotel, Burbank**

"What's so special about this computer?" Casey asks from behind Bryce.

"It's going to help us with get through the encryption a lot faster than if we sent these of to Langley." Bryce responds as he connects Chuck's hard drive to the Roark computer.

"How fast?"

Bryce pauses a moment to do the math. "Hopefully a few days instead of a couple of weeks; if these are as secure as I think they are."

"Heh" Casey stands up, pulling on his gun holster. "Anything else on that computer?"

Oh sure, there is all kinds of fun things on this computer. "A few things. It will make contacting Orion easier."

"Some of us got to pull our weight. Headed out to relieve Walker." Casey grabs his keys and gun.

Bryce scowls and gives Casey the finger as he leaves.

* * *

 **Now:**

 **Meadow Brooks Neighborhood**

Casey rolls his shoulders as he takes a long sip from his soda. He sets the drink down in the cup holder.

He's been at this for days rotating with Walker. He exchanged the Crown Vic for a carpenter's van parked by the neighborhood clubhouse. It has a wonderful advantage of resting at the top of a small hill overlooking most of the roads.

Once this mission is over, he's going to put in for special assignment in the East. Something violent and action packed.

This whole mission was a series of grunt work followed by clean up work. It sucked.

Casey sits up. He grabs the binoculars.

A convertible moves slowly down the road. Casey has a small urge to duck as the silver car pulls into the clubhouse parking lot. The car drives past and parks close to the door.

The door opens and out comes Roberts. She's talking angrily on the phone.

Bingo.

She slams the door and strides around the side of the building.

Casey quickly pulls out his gun and hops out of the car. He quietly shuts the door.

He creeps along the sidewalk. A door closes somewhere ahead. Casey turns the corner. There's an brick service shed standing twenty feet from the main club house. A solitary red metal door marks the entrance.

Roberts is gone. He scans the area. As much as he'd like to pursue her into the building, the cavalry needs to be here.

Casey heads back to the car. He pulls out his cellphone to send a message to Larkin and Walker when everything goes dark.

* * *

 **Underground Fulcrum Base**

Casey lists to the side as two Fulcrum Agents frog march him down the hallway. Roberts leads the small group. He's disoriented from a blow to the back of his head.

"That's not Orion." A voice calls from behind.

The group stops. Roberts turns around.

"We caught Major Casey snooping around." Jill responds.

"You mean he followed you." The voice belongs to a dark haired man with a deep facial scar. Really? What is it with this mook's scars? How clichéd can we get?

The man steps up to Roberts. More agents fill the hallway.

"He caught me off guard. He's alone."

The man stares at Casey for a long moment. He turns back to Jill.

"You see, that's the thing with these cockroaches. They're never alone. There will be federal agents swarming this place by tomorrow."

Robert's purses her lips.

"And Orion? I distinctly remember requesting his presence here yesterday."

Casey watches as Roberts tries to school her face carefully. A hand gently rubs the spot where Casey tagged her a month ago. Good. It still hurt.

"You showed our hand with his son's retrieval. Of course he can't be found," come's Robert's curt response.

"What good are you then? No Larkin. No Orion. And now you've brought an infestation."

Robert's feathers are ruffled. "I am Bartowksi's handler. You think he'll really help you without me?"

The man in black gives a proceed gesture with his hand. Two agents grab Roberts.

With this distraction, Casey carefully twists his wrist in the handcuffs to bring it closer to his other hand. Slowly he extends a finger to hit the panic button.

"Sadly, I don't think that's the case any more. Our boy's proven to be very obedient. Pavlov would be proud. Besides we can always get his sister if needed." The man turns to the guards holding Casey.

"Secure him. We'll deal with him later. Bring Bartowski to me. We need to run one final test." The man snaps his fingers and heads down the hallway.

Jill begins to struggle furiously like a cat in a bag for all the good it will do her. The agents maintain their hold on her as she's pulled away.

Casey's tugged the other direction. He's slightly unsteady on his feet.

The group stops in front of a door. It's unlocked. Casey is shoved into the single chair and handcuffed to each armrest.

The room is incredibly small with an arm rail that runs along all four walls. Casey gets a brief glance of a blindfolded man curled up in the corner attached to the rail, before the guards descend on the man, releasing him from the wall and hustling him out the room.

The door slams shut. Casey is alone. Time to get to work.

* * *

 **Hotel Across Town**

Various street maps of Meadow Brook are spread out across one of the double beds in the room. By the small table, Bryce hacks away at the computer.

For the past several hours, Bryce has been compiling all the data they've collected.

A progress bar on the screen hovers around 97 percent. The bar hits 100 percent. Bryce carefully pulls a thumb drive from the computer. Out of the corner of his eye, he looks at Sarah. She's currently seated on the floor engrossed in cleaning her knives. He attaches it to a chain around his neck and tucks the drive under his shirt.

Bryce's computer starts beeping.

"What's that?" Sarah says as she stands up.

A map with a red dot pops up on screen.

"Casey. He's hit the panic button on his watch."

Bryce grabs his gun off the table.

"We need to go."

* * *

 **The Intersect Room**

Ike shoves Chuck to the floor. His knees sting as they hit the ground. The cold familiar press of a muzzle caresses his neck. The blindfold is tugged roughly down his face to rest around his neck.

Chuck squints under the harsh lighting. A gasp draws his attention to the middle of the room. He tries to scramble to his feet when he sees Jill. The pressure along his neck increases as a hand clutches his shoulder.

In the middle of the room, Mike ties down a struggling Jill to the medical chair. Tommy forces Jill's head back against the headrest and secures it there with another strap.

"Leave her alone!" Chuck cries.

"Chuck." Jill can see Chuck out of the corner of her eye.

Mike pulls a strap particularly tight. Jill winces. Chuck starts to panic.

"Please don't hurt her!"

"Shut up." Ike says. The grip on his shoulder tightens.

Tommy steps back from Jill, standing between her and Chuck. "Our choices have consequences, Chuck. Jill broke an agreement and this is the outcome. Fulcrum always delivers on its promises."

The world seems to spin around Chuck. He doesn't understand what is going on. This is a sick merry-go-round he can't get off.

Chuck's vertigo increases as Mike and a man in scrubs attach a contraption to Jill's face that forces open her eyelids. The hell?

Tommy approaches Chuck. He slides out a pair of glasses and slides them on Chuck's face. "These stay on." He taps the glasses.

He slides his own pair on. "Any last words, sweetheart?"

"Chuck," Jill croaks. She can't see him. She licks her lips. "Chuck, it's a lie. Everything is a lie."

"Wha-?" Chuck starts.

"I'm sorry." She whispers.

"Fire it up." Tommy says. The scientists put on glasses as a projector screen descends from the ceiling.

The room darkens as a count down leader ticks down from ten. Chuck turns to the screen thoroughly confused. A movie? The leader hits one and the screen begins to pulse through hundreds of images. An epileptic's nightmare.

Jill screams. Chuck whips his head back towards the medical chair. Jill strains against the straps, trying to twist her head away from the screen. She continues to scream. Chuck makes a move towards her, but Tommy crouches down by Chuck and grabs his chin in a steely grip.

"Watch. Just watch." He whispers into Chuck's ear.

Chuck whimpers. The pictures continue unabated. Minutes pass and Jill's screams have turned into moans. What started as a few tears is now a river of blood pouring down her face.

Every time Chuck tries to turn his head away, Tommy's hand is there holding it in place. An immovable force. Chuck's knees ache from the hard floor. Tears of frustration threaten.

As time continues, blood has started to leak from Jill's ears and nose. Jill's making no sounds. Her mouth slowly opens and closes, silent.

Suddenly the screen goes dark. The lights kick on overhead. Tommy releases Chuck's head. He motions to the scientists.

Two move towards Jill and remove the contraption around her face. Her eyes droop closed. Blood's everywhere. Her clothes. Her face. Dripping over the sides of the chair.

Tommy stalks forwards. He stares impatiently at her face.

The scientists continue to loosen the straps securing her to the chair. Jill doesn't move.

"Weak." Tommy scoffs. "You know what to do." He says to the scientists.

Freed from the chair, the two drag Jill's limp form off, her head lolling.

Chuck twists out of Ike's grip and lurches towards Jill.

Tommy holds out his hands in supplication. Mike and Ike stand down. The two scientists release Jill. Her body hits the floor.

Chuck crashes to his knees. With shaky hands, he turns Jill towards him. Warm blood slicks his hands. He gently grasps her face.

"Open your eyes." He pleas.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Approaching the climax of part 1. Thanks for hanging in there with me.


	12. Chapter 12

**Now:**

 **The Intersect Room**

Chuck's sobs echo in the stark room. He tucks Jill's head under his chin as his fingers tangle themselves in her hair.

Hands reach down and pry Jill from his grasp.

"No. No." He weeps as he dives forward in an attempt to grab her.

A sharp kick to his stomach sends him reeling. He gasps as he watches Jill's body dragged away.

Tommy chuckles as he circles Chuck. A knife twirls in his hands.

For the first time in Chuck's life, a swirling rage builds up inside. He'd been angry at Bryce's betrayal, but his sadness had outweighed what anger he'd felt then.

But now? The rage is all consuming.

With a burst of adrenaline, he launches himself at Tommy. His momentum is crushed as Tommy side steps and slams the handle of his knife down hard against the back of Chuck's neck.

Chuck drops to the floor, stunned. He watches helpless as Tommy delivers another swift kick to his stomach. Chuck gasps for air.

Tommy reaches down and grabs Chuck's hair and leans in to snarl in his ear.

"If you ever try that shit again, you're sister's dead. I have half a mind to drag her in here now."

"No." Chuck chokes out.

Tommy yanks Chuck's hair until their eyes meet. "This is what happens if you ever disobey me. If you try to escape, I'll pay a personal visit to everyone left in your pathetic family. Do you understand?"

Chuck can't force the words out, but he nods his head vigorously.

Bang. Bang.

Tommy releases Chuck. He pivots towards the door, gun drawn. The remaining scientists in the room move into formation drawing handguns.

Short bursts of gunfire sound off on the other side of the door. Chuck lies limp on the floor, staring at the ceiling as tears stream quietly down the corners of his eyes.

Tommy gives a brief look to Chuck before advancing on the sealed door.

The gunfire on the other side ceases. Tommy waits, gun held aloft.

Suddenly, Tommy's phone trills. He whips the phone out. "Status report, now."

A beat.

A smirk graces Tommy's face. He turns back to Chuck and stares down at him. "Good. Bring them to the observation room. We have a procedure to complete."

The scientists stand down.

Tommy stashes his phone and gun as he crouches down by Chuck's head.

"Looks like you have some visitors."

Chuck can only stare at Tommy as he continues.

"They're just in time to see the big show. We'll all find out together if you've really been worth the effort."

* * *

 **Observation Room**

A Fulcrum agent presses handcuffed Sarah down into a chair in the back. Bryce is pulled into the room. He momentarily jerks away from his guard as he staggers towards the window.

"Chuck!"

The guard presses a gun into Bryce's neck as the other hand grabs Bryce's elbow and pushes him towards the chair next to Sarah.

Sarah turns her attention to the other side of the observation window.

In the foreground, Delgado crouches down by a prone curly haired man on the floor. Delgado says something to the scientists.

Two scientists move forward and grab the man under the armpits and drag him towards the medical chair in the center.

It's Sarah's first clear look at Chuck Bartowski in person. It's not pretty. He's haggard. Fresh blood is smeared over his arms and the front of his shirt. It doesn't saturate the shirt. His face blotchy and wet. It's not his blood.

Bartowski doesn't fight as he's strapped down.

Sarah jerks her head as Bryce makes a disgruntled sound. Bryce strains against the hands holding him in the chair.

This isn't going to end well for anyone. Sarah starts looking around for something get her out of the handcuffs. Beyond the two computers, a few stuffed folders and clipboards are stacked around the computers. Besides that, there's not much else.

A tap at the window pulls Sarah from her scan. Delgado presses one hand flat against the window and the other knocks the glass again. He gives a knowing smile. He taps his ear before he turns back to the center of the room.

A white haired man seated at the computer in front of Sarah hits a few keys. He looks slightly familiar. Maybe someone from the case files.

Sounds from the other side fill the room as the man adjusts the volume on the keyboard.

"Ready Chuck?" Delgado says.

Bartowski gives a brief nod.

"I can't hear you. I said, are you ready, Chuck?" Delgado reaches a hand out. Bartowski flinches.

Sarah has to strain her ears but she hears a faintly whimpered "Yes."

"Good. Now, you're going to keep your eyes on the screen the whole time. You aren't going to look away once. You can do that right?"

Another whimpered, "Yes."

"Good, good. We wouldn't want to revisit our conversation from earlier." Sarah can hear a smile in his voice. It's almost affectionate. It sickens her.

Delgado ruffles Bartowski's hair. The man smiles at the window before he exits.

A moment later, the door in the observation room opens and Delgado struts in. He stops in front of Bryce and Sarah.

"I was really hoping you'd show up Larkin."

"You could have sent a formal invitation."

The white haired scientist clears his throat. Delgado looks away.

"We're ready to initiate again." The man holds out a fistful of dark sunglasses.

Delgado grabs them. "This better work Zarnow."

"I have every confidence this time," the scientist responds before turning back to the computer.

Delgado gently places a pair on Sarah's face. He lingers in her personal space as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and takes a sniff.

He smiles. "We're going to be great friends."

Not happening Sarah thinks. With the sunglasses she can now easily scan the area without being noticed. There has to be something she can use to get out of this situation. Her attention is caught on the stack of file folders closest to her. There's got to be a paper clip in there somewhere.

He moves to Bryce and forces the second pair on him.

"Are you really willing to do this without verifying the coding? Without Orion?" Bryce asks.

"There's no one else left worth testing. If the technology isn't ready, we'll wait a few years and try again. If you'd stuck around, you could have prevented this. Instead, you sped up our timelines. It's good to know that Project Omaha wasn't as successful as you led us to believe."

Delgado slides on his glasses and nods to Zarnow. "Begin the upload."

Zarnow starts typing away at the computer. The projector screen starts to descend from ceiling.

* * *

 **Intersect Room**

Oh god. Oh god.

Chuck tries to take deep breaths, but it winds up being close to hyperventilating. His terror increases as the projector screen lowers from the ceiling again. His eyes slam shut as flashes of Jill struggling against the chair fill his vision.

 _This is what happens when you disobey._

Chuck's eyes fly open.

The lights have dimmed and the countdown leader has initiated. Ten. Nine. Oh god. Eight. This is how it ends.

Five. Chuck's hands clinch the chair's armrests. The urge to look away almost battles with thoughts of Ellie's safety.

Two.

One.

The flood of images begins. Chuck's knuckles turn white from his grip.

He finds even if he wanted to close his eyes or look away he can't. He's transfixed as thousands of images burn themselves into his retinas.

The world around him melts away until all he can sense is a rush. A pressure starts to build inside his head. His consciousness zones out.

* * *

 **Chuck's Cell, Meadow Brook Neighborhood**

Casey presses his ear lightly against the door to his cell. His right hand tightens into a fist around the handcuffs turned brass knuckles. He makes sure to keep his thumb extended.

In a true act of manliness, he dislocated both thumbs to free himself. There was pain but there'd be nothing like the soothing balm dead Fulcrum agents to make it all better.

In the indeterminable time between being dumped in the room, gaining his bearings and breaking his way to freedom, there had been short bursts of gunfire followed by several feet running down the hallway. Walker and Larkin probably needed saving. Go figure. CIA agents are always so needy.

Casey can tell there's someone lingering outside the door. Very carefully, he turns the handle and pulls the door enough to see the back of the unfortunate…fortunate?…sucker standing guard.

Casey smiles as he notices the handgun tucked into the back of the Fulcrum agent.

With the MacGyver brass knuckles at the ready, he extends his hand towards the handgun. Casey snatches the gun and smashes the handcuffs into the agent's face as he turns around.

The agent drops to the ground. Casey pats the guy down. Yahtzee. He finds a silencer and extra magazines. He attaches the silencer and tucks the magazines into his pockets. He winces slightly each time he bumps a thumb.

Lastly, Casey grabs the walkie and earpiece from the agent. He raises the gun and shoots the agent before sliding the earpiece in.

Time to go hunting.

* * *

 **Meanwhile: Observation Room**

Bryce would like to think he always kept a clear head, that he could make tough decisions in difficult situations. That his emotions never got the best of him. But now? Now he wasn't so sure.

In front of him, was the very thing he had tried to prevent all those years ago. A better agent would have been using this time to figure a way out. To save the asset and take down the bad guys.

All Bryce could do was watch Chuck.

Based on the ME's report and bodies from the morgue, Bryce had anticipated the intersect upload to be truly horrifying event to experience. Chuck didn't outwardly appear to be in great physical pain. His breathing was harsh but nothing to indicated agony. This gave Bryce a chance to hope his friend would come out of this with a pulse.

Next to him, Sarah made a small move towards the table. She was getting ready to make a move. Bryce starts to turn his head when the progress bar on Zarnow's computer hits 100% and the lights in the Intersect room go out.

The lights flicker back on. The projector screen is ascending.

Bryce holds his breath as he gets a clean look at Chuck. His eyes are glazed and stare into the space that just occupied the projector. A small trickle of blood drips under Chuck's nose. Then as if a string were cut, Chuck's eyes close and his head lolls to the side.

"Get a base line reading." Tommy orders.


	13. Chapter 13

**Then:**

 **Observation Room:**

Bryce holds his breath as he gets a clean look at Chuck. His eyes are glazed and stare into the space. A small trickle of blood drips under Chuck's nose. Then, Chuck's eyes close and his head lolls to the side.

"Get a base line reading." Tommy orders before he exits without a glance towards anyone else in the room.

A second later Tommy reemerges on the other side of the window.

 **Now:**

 **Observation Room**

Sarah watches as Tommy stalks towards Bartowski's motionless form, but comes to a stop as two scientists move in to run neurological checks. This isn't good. Bryce seems frozen. After years of working together, Sarah can read the horror hidden just under the surface. Things are going to get ugly. Quick.

Sarah eyes the folders on the desk. She swallows. Any move she makes is going to lead to a firefight. She rolls her shoulders in an effort to release tension.

"Well?" Delgado's voice drifts through the speakers.

Sarah's focus shifts back to the intersect room.

One of the white coats click's off his penlight as he pulls his other hand away from Bartowski's face.

"Poor response to stimuli and thready vitals". The scientist wipes at the blood trickling from Bartowski's face. "Blood flow indicates intracranial bleeding like the others. We will need more time to assess."

Delgado swears. He starts to pace the room. Sarah can tell he's pissed. Does that mean it didn't work? The man stops to look down at something just out of sight of the observation window. He looks contemplative, before lifting his face to the window.

Sarah holds her breath as she stares into his eyes.

"Clear the chair. We're going to do one more upload. Bring them in." Delgado turns away from the window.

Sarah and Bryce are roughly hauled out their chairs and marched out of the room.

 **Somewhere in the Fulcrum Base**

With his stolen gun leading the way, Casey quietly advances down another hallway. The base has proved larger than he previously thought. There were several doors that led to different stairwells. Casey could only assume they led up to different houses in the neighborhood. Which, let's face it, was swell. There could be any number of scumbags a short alarm away.

For this reason, Casey had already eliminated several Fulcrum agents in various hallways. He'd been lucky to take out the security room first. A dozen or so monitors showed mostly empty hallways and the above ground entrance at the community clubhouse. What the monitors didn't show were any rooms that were down in the facility. This must be an open circuit monitoring system.

As Casey took out the agents, he'd picked up a Kevlar vest, ammunition and two more handguns, which had been gingerly tucked into his pants for his moronic partners because they'd probably gotten themselves into trouble.

Casey slows as he approaches an open door at the end of the current hallway. He strains his ears as he inched the last few feet closer.

The only sounds coming from inside was the faint clicking of fingers at a keyboard. Casey takes a breath and then with his gun at the ready, he turns the corner.

His finger pulls the trigger the moment he sees the owner of the typing fingers. The woman slumps over a keyboard. The room is small like all the others he'd encountered thus far. It contains a similar set up to the previous security room with the exception that the mounted monitors show only two rooms instead of endless hallways.

Casey leans in to check the dead agent's pulse. Dead. Casey shoves the body away from the keyboard. He peers at the monitors. The rooms on screen show a hive activity. Two eggheads in white coats hover around computer monitors in one room and in the other another pair of white coats are in the process of transferring the body of a man from a medical chair to a nearby gurney. Tommy Delgado stands watch over the activities.

"Shit."

As Casey starts to take in the rest of the room, the door opens and group if burly traitors drag in Walker and Larkin. Of course. Pansy-ass agents.

He looks around at the other monitors. He's got to figure out where the room is. That's when he notices the bright blue tubing that runs out behind the mounted monitors, up along the wall and out into the hallway…Closed circuit? Maybe. He notices an external hard-drive connected to the computer. He yanks the USB cable and shoves the drive inside the Kevlar.

Quickly, Casey bends down over the dead agent and swipes a key card attached to her belt, a set of keys and routes around in her pockets until he finds a cellphone. He stuffs the card into this pocket and opens the phone. It's time to call in the reinforcements.

After a hurried call to Beckman, Casey moves out into the hallway. He lifts his gun as he follows the blue tubing along the ceiling.

As he comes around another corner, Casey stops when he hears movement. Carefully, he peeks around the corner. It's a clean up-crew. They're removing the dead bodies of several agents. Maybe Barbie and Ken weren't completely useless.

Casey steps back and checks the ammo in his gun.

 **Intersect Room**

Bryce tries to catch his breath as he and Sarah are pulled into the white room. He eyes track Chuck as two scientists push his gurney up against a wall on the opposite side of the room. Chuck's head is turned slightly towards Bryce. His eyes closed and still.

"What are you going to do with him?" Bryce asks as he tears his eyes from Chuck to Tommy who is currently leaning against the medical chair.

"Why are you able to retain the Intersect? What did Omaha do differently?"

Bryce stares at Tommy. He clenches his jaw as his hands tighten into fists inside the handcuffs. Sarah keeps her focus on Tommy.

Tommy stands up and approaches Bryce.

"Why did it work on you and not him?" Tommy stops within inches of Bryce's face. "I have the same scientists" Tommy spits out. "I have improved plans and I have the best candidate. Why the fuck didn't it work?"

"Because as cheesy as it sounds, the bad guys never win." Sarah answers.

Tommy turns to Sarah and with a snarl he slams his fist into her face. Sarah stumbles back into the waiting arms of the goons behind her.

Bryce makes a move to dive forward but is prevented.

Tommy straightens his black jacket and nods to himself. He turns to a cart nearby, flips open a folder and picks up a photograph. He moves back to Bryce and holds up a photo of a chemical sequence. Bryce stares at the image as Tommy stares at him.

"What'd you see?"

Bryce licks his lips. "It doesn't work that way."

Tommy snorts. "I'm sure. If you don't tell me what you saw, Walker is next."

The guards holding Sarah start to drag her towards the chair. She struggles as she nears the chair.

"Orion didn't include that image in my intersect." Bryce hedges.

"That because you don't have the intersect do you?" Tommy snaps.

Sarah is forced down into the chair and is secured tightly.

"You have ten seconds to tell me what you saw or I make scrambled eggs with Walker's brain like Miss Roberts'." Tommy points at the crumbled bloody body of Jill tucked under the observation window. In the corner of his eye, Bryce notices movement in the observation room. Casey is carefully creeping up behind Zarnow and the other scientist at the computer stations.

Bryce shifts his attention back to Tommy who smiling at Bryce. He just needs to keep Tommy's attention for a minute.

"Why was Fulcrum handling Chuck? Jill was embedded well before you got the Stanford list."

"He was Orion's son, as you knew when Orion asked you to get him expelled from Stanford."

The scientists start applying the apparatus to keep Sarah's eyes held open.

"You haven't acted on that information for years. Why now?" Bryce asks.

"Let's just say Chuck was very gifted in more ways than one, and as nice as this conversation has been this is the last time I'll ask. _What did you see?"_

Bryce turns to look at Chuck again. He almost takes a step back. Chuck's eyelids are fluttering. Tension floods Bryce's stomach. Good…but not good. Chuck's fingers twitch.

Bryce looks at Tommy then to the observation room. Casey pecks away at the keyboard, thumbs held carefully back. He comes to a stop and stands up. He grasps an assault rifle and nods at Bryce.

"You don't have the intersect. You never uploaded it. You and Orion have led us on this merry little dance. Well, you're out of time."

"Alright! I'll tell you. The image was a message and it said, "Duck!"

At that moment a volley of gunfire erupts. The glass shatters from the observation room. Bryce dives for guard on left, using the moment of surprise.

Casey continues to unleash bullets as he steps over the broken glass and into the Intersect room. He easily takes down the scientists before they can draw weapons and clips Tommy in the shoulder as the man in black scrambles for cover behind one of the medical machines.

By this time, Bryce has managed to grab the gun one from of his handlers and shoot him. Casey takes out the other. Sarah's still stuck in the chair pulling against the restraints.

"Give it up Delgado!" Casey shouts has he approaches Tommy's hideout. Bryce slides over to Sarah. He loosens the apparatus around Sarah's face. The handcuffs slow his movements.

Delgado laughs in response. "This is only the beginning."

There's a click, followed by a pop.

Bryce and Sarah stare at each other. Something is slid across the floor.

"Casey! Cover Chuck!" Bryce yells as he scrambles to undo the last strap on Sarah before pulling her to the ground.

Casey angles himself between Chuck's gurney and Delgado's hiding place as a small pulse explodes knocking Casey back into the gurney which clangs as it hits the wall, but doesn't tip over. Smoke fills the room as footsteps move away. A door opens and closes.

Casey raises his gun and fires where Delgado was. Damn.

Bryce stays crouched over Sarah as the smoke clears. His ears ring. Sarah struggles to sit up and pushes Bryce back.

"We need to go!" She shouts; her hearing is affected as well.

Bryce grips the chair as he hauls himself up. He pulls Sarah up with his other hand.

"Took you long enough!" Bryce yells at Casey.

Casey grunts. "Back-up is on the way, but there's no telling how many Fulcrum agents are. Here." Casey pulls out the key ring he swiped earlier and tosses it at Bryce.

Bryce catches the keys in both hands before making quick work of the handcuffs.

Sarah bends down and picks up a gun. She moves around the room checking on the slumped forms of the Fulcrum agents.

A quiet groan startles the group. Casey warily looks down at Chuck. Bryce lurches forward. He gives Casey a light push to move him out of the way. He leans of Chuck, slowly bringing his hand up to press against Chuck's neck. For the first time in a while, Bryce starts to feel hope creep in.

"Chuck?" Bryce whispers.

Bryce's only friend's hand twitches again as his head moves. Chuck gives another groan.

"Chuck? Can you- Wait! Hey! What are you doing!" Bryce raises his hand to push Sarah out of the way, but not before the blonde agent is able to inject Chuck with a clear liquid. Chuck stills.

"Bryce, we don't 'have time for this! We need to get outside!"

"Blondie's got a point." Casey says as he thrusts the assault rifle at Bryce. Casey reaches Chuck and hulls the man into a fireman's hold.

The feel of the warm gun in Bryce's hands seems to wake him up. The earlier feeling of hope is tinged with fear. He lifts the gun up and shoots the security camera in the room.

"What was that for?" Sarah shouts.

"We need to erase everything! They can't know what happened!" Casey and Sarah exchange looks.

"Get Chuck out of here! I'll be right behind you." Bryce gestures with the gun. He turns and steps over the broken glass into the observation room. He doesn't need to look back, as he hears Sarah and Casey exit the room.

Bryce hurriedly sits down in front of the computer Zarnov was working on. He grabs at the chain around his neck, revealing a dangling thumb drive. Bryce pulls the chain over his head to attach the drive to the computer.

He opens up the drive on the desktop and clicks on the software Orion sent him. A progress bar pops up. Bryce then uses the roller chair to slide to the next computer. He hacks into the closed security and feed and begins to erase all data.


End file.
